Earth-717: Hulk Volume 2
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. Having lived for too long on the run, Bruce Banner finally found a place he could call home. However, his small hope for peace is soon shattered when a deadly alliance of foes reveal their master plan. Forced out of hiding and headlong into crisis, Banner must learn to do what he has always dreaded: not just control the Hulk, but embrace it.
1. Looking Out

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 1: Looking Out

Her hands in her pockets, Betty walked along the edge of the Toronto waterfront, observing the world around her. There were gulls in the sky, soaring along and mostly minding their own business. There were cars on the road, forming an endless line of people going through here with a need to get somewhere else. There was fog in the air, rolling over the sidewalks and the water, giving a faint hint of mystery to the area.

There were numerous people walking about, but Betty did not pay attention to any of them as she continued to walk. Pulling her jacket in tighter as a gust of wind snaked its way along her back, she then turned towards the lake, placing her arms together on the metal railing at the edge of the sidewalk. Running her right index finger through her hair, she stood there as she thought about all of the searching that she had done in the last year.

The long hours she had spent scouring through snippets of news and internet rumours. The desperate conversations she had had with her new contacts. The handful of times she had wondered if she was truly not going to find him again. Every once in a while, she had even run into a night when she felt that perhaps her quest was no longer worth continuing.

Those nights she spent slamming her fist against the shower wall.

Those days she had spent sitting on the couch, gorging herself with greasy food.

Those times she would lay awake in her bed, not knowing if she would ever be able to share it with him again.

Those times that she thought that perhaps she had best move on with her life.

Each time this happened, her mind went back to a conversation she had a year ago with her father, while overlooking a body of water similar to the one she was standing at now.

 _"Are you going to be okay?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Can we make peace?"_

 _"Soon."_

 _"Are you going to look for him?"_

Betty inhaled before the answer replayed in her mind. She remembered that she had smiled when she had given it.

 _"I'll never stop looking."_

It was all she ever needed to hear to reinvigorate her resolve. She knew that no matter what, she could not give up on him. They had been through too much together for it all to have been in vain. She thought back to that terrible day in Santa Fe, when she had been taken hostage by a deranged major in a high-tech armoured suit, and how she was saved at the last second.

It was in that moment, when the Hulk saved her, that she had started to wonder if perhaps the monstrous side of Bruce had a place in this world. Whether or not it did, she owed it to Bruce to try and find out, and that meant having to keep on looking.

Suddenly, her cell phone started vibrating in her jacket pocket. Nudged out of her thoughtful daze by it, she grabbed it and held it to her ear, clicking the call button.

"Ross," she said.

"Betty, it's me."

Betty recognized the voice right away as feminine. She was speaking to one of her new contacts that she had acquired while searching for Bruce.

"Do you have something?" asked Betty.

"Yeah. I think we've finally got him."

Betty's eyes widened upon hearing the woman's words.

"You're sure?"

"Well, we can't completely be sure, but it's damn promising. Promising enough that the top brass are mobilizing. And Betty, I mean they're mobilizing now. You're gonna have to move fast."

"How fast? Where is he?"

"Northern forests of Ontario," replied the woman. "I'm gonna send you the general area, cause we don't have exact co-ordinates yet. Top brass says they have a plan around that. Wish I could give you more, but this . . . ."

"It's more than enough," said Betty. "I know how dangerous this is for you. Thanks for the info."

"Just don't take too long to act on it."

"I won't."

With that, the woman hung up on Betty, who held her phone out in front of her. A few seconds later, some map data appeared in a text message. Stuffing the phone back in her pocket, she immediately turned towards the street, heading back the way she came. Arriving at an underground parking lot, she found the place where she had left her motorcycle.

Hopping on, she turned on the ignition and checked the pistol that she had concealed under her jacket. Taking a few seconds to breathe, she then drove out of the lot and out onto the street, headed in a northern direction.

* * *

As the elevator made a dinging noise to indicate that it had arrived at its destination, the steel door opened to reveal the lone occupant standing inside. He was an older man with greying hair, a meticulously square jaw, and a general's uniform. Marching out of the elevator, he held his hat in his left hand as he made his way down the hospital hallway.

He got to a patient room, at which point he looked through the window to see a sickly-looking woman laying on her bed. She had several wrapped bandages around her head, covering the fact that she had no hair. Numerous machines and tubes were connected to her body, sprawled all around her. Her eyes were closed, but the man could see that she was still breathing, if only just.

Her complexion was far paler than the last time he had come to visit. Much of her skin was starting to shrivel and wrinkle due to the loss of body mass underneath. The monitors and machines indicated that she was being kept alive. The man wondered how long she would be able to maintain her fight.

"General?"

Ryker turned to look to the side as a doctor walked up to him. She was holding a clipboard. Nodding at the doctor, he then turned back to look at the woman in the patient room.

"How is she?"

"Holding on," replied the doctor. "Treatments are working, but . . . . we don't know what will burn out first. It's always a gamble."

"It's a gamble I'm willing to make."

"You can go in to see her, if you like. She responds well when spoken to."

"Thank you."

Ryker opened the door to the patient room, and the doctor turned back down the hallway. Closing the door behind him, Ryker then walked up to the medical bed, putting his hat on the bedside table. The table also had a framed photograph of Ryker and a much healthier looking version of the bedridden woman, leaning into each other and vibrantly smiling.

For several minutes, he just stood there, looking down at her. He then finally reached out and caressed the side of her right cheek, causing her to stir. She pressed her cheek against his hand before slowly opening her eyes. Upon seeing him, she put on a generous smile. When she spoke, her voice was gravelly and faint.

"Hello there, good-lookin'."

Ryker let out a short laugh.

"Hello yourself."

"Hmmm. Now . . . . what's a fine young man like yourself doin' . . . . coming to talk to an old girl like me for? Hmmm?"

Ryker looked behind him, seeing a chair on the other side of the table. Pulling it over, he sat down, before reaching out and grabbing her nearest hand with his.

"Still the best looking girl in the house," he said.

The woman chortled at this. She squeezed Ryker's hand tighter.

"Always did know how to turn on the charm, old boy. And you always did look damn good in a uniform. Always got me . . . . excited."

"I wanted to look good for you."

"You better, seeing how long it's been since you dropped by."

"I've been . . . . busy."

"I know. Going out there, doin' your country proud. Always tryin' to make things better for the rest of us normal folk."

The woman blinked and smiled again.

"My John."

Ryker gave her a half-smile before looking at the floor.

"You know I'm proud of you," she said. "You know that, right?"

Ryker nodded before looking back up at her.

"Enough about me. How are you doing?"

"Me? Oh, doctor's said I'm fit as a champion horse. Should be outta here any day now. Soon enough, I'll be back to bench-pressin' cars and buildin' houses."

"Really, Lucy . . . ."

"I'm good, John. I'm feelin' . . . . feelin' . . . . bet-bet . . . . b-better . . . ."

Lucy started coughing violently, using her free hand to cover her mouth. Ryker stood up and reached over, cradling the back of her head with his hand. The lines around his eyes softened as a frown grew on his face. After a full minute of slowed breathing, Lucy finally opened her eyes again and looked over at him.

"Lucy . . . . you scared me."

"Don't be afraid for me, John. I . . . . I . . . ."

Lucy's eyes rolled back as she gestured to the side. Ryker turned his head to see a water dispenser in the corner. Rushing over to it, he poured her a cup of water before holding it to her lips. He served her the entire cup, which she eagerly gulped down. After she swallowed, he sat down again, waiting for her to speak.

"I'm old, John. No use denying it."

"Don't say that. Don't, don't . . . . there's still . . . ."

"Now you listen here, old boy. Don't you dare go out there, pitying me, or some other nonsense. I lived a good life. Damn good life, in large part thanks to you. We shared some good times, you and I."

Ryker turned his head to the side, and it was clear that he was fighting back against an inclination to cry. Lucy again reached out and grasped his hand.

"But there's no use fightin' what won't be. I ain't scared to die."

Ryker slowly looked back at Lucy.

"I've made good in this world, same as you," she continued. "We both did what we could to be . . . . to be good people. And that's all I wanted for us. I know I won't be around much longer . . . . but I'm not mad, and I'm not scared. It's okay. Thing ain't beautiful cause it lasts forever. It's beautiful cause . . . . cause we got the time we got. It's the natural way of things."

"I . . . ."

Ryker took some time to force out his next words.

"I can't give up on you. I can't."

"I don't think it's about givin' up, John."

Ryker raised an eyebrow as he looked Lucy in the eyes.

"I think it's about makin' peace."

For a long time, the two continued to sit there, no longer needing to speak. Once Lucy fell asleep again, Ryker stood up and kissed her forehead. He then turned around, and after grabbing his hat off of the table, he walked out of the room. As he closed the door, he took a moment to look at the name that was plastered next to it.

LUCY RYKER.

Ryker rubbed the ring on his finger for a moment before turning back down the hall. As he approached the elevator, his cell phone went off. Stepping to the side of the room, he pulled it out and held it to his ear.

"This is Ryker."

"General, we have a situation," said a female voice.

"What kind of situation?"

"The kind that requires your immediate attention. Someone from SHIELD is waiting outside the hospital. We all need to talk."

Ryker looked out the window to see a van parked on the street, with a man in a business suit standing there.

"I'm on my way."

Ryker turned off the phone and marched over to the elevator.

* * *

In the boreal forests of northern Ontario, Canada, a paltry wooden cabin stood by itself, wedged between a tree line and a small lake. Outside of the cabin stood Bruce Banner, who was using an axe to chop some wood, which he then placed in a pile next to him. He was wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans, with brown, messy hair atop his head.

Slicing apart another piece, he didn't notice as a small, circular shaped metallic orb floated up behind him. It had a front section that was a cyan, glass dome, which lit up as it spoke.

"Doctor Banner!"

Bruce turned to look at ROB.

"Hey, ROB. What's the story?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary of recent, I'm afraid. Or maybe that's a good thing, not sure. Likely due to the increasing number of metahuman incidents, my internet scans indicate that any mobilized forces in search for you haven't made any progress. Any progress I can detect, anyway. You never know with the military."

"Yeah, you can say that again."

"You never know with the . . . ."

"That was, that was rhetorical, ROB. You didn't actually have to say it again."

"How am I supposed understand human behaviour if you continuously do or say things with the opposite intention? It's utter madness, Doctor Banner!"

Bruce put the axe on his shoulder.

"Maybe it is. But, then again . . . . that's being human."

"Quite right. Come on, I've prepared supper."

Bruce rolled his eyes as he followed ROB towards the cabin.

"Chef's surprise again, ROB? You're killing me out here."

"By the contrary, I'm doing everything I can to keep you alive. It's been quite a task this past year. I'm amazed I haven't been rendered non-functional!"

ROB floated through the open cabin door. Bruce stopped on the porch, taking a moment to look out at the forest beyond. For a long time, he had been isolated here. Since becoming a fugitive, he had never spent this long in any one place. It was even starting to feel like home for him. Scratching the side of his head, he then strolled inside of the cabin, ready for the end of yet another day.


	2. Gamma Corps

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 2: Gamma Corps

Ryker was led into the room by a young woman in a SHIELD uniform. Her hair was short and black, and she was wearing lipstick that matched its hue. The room they entered was the central command centre for the SHIELD helicarrier. Standing on the central hub was Nick Fury, the organization's director.

Ryker looked at Fury, who stepped down from the hub and approached him. Fury was flanked by several other SHIELD agents, including a tall woman with glasses and red highlights in her hair, an older man with white hair, and two young scientists, a man and a woman. The woman with black hair and lipstick took her place amongst the group.

Raising an eyebrow, Ryker looked at each member of the group in turn, before turning his attention back to Fury.

"What is this, Fury? Putting together your own company baseball team?"

"Better than that, General," replied Fury. "Now that some of the other metahuman situations have been dealt with, I've pulled together a special task force specifically for tracking down the Hulk. I thought you'd approve."

Ryker groaned under his breath as he looked at the three young agents at the end of the line.

"Half of them look like they're fresh out of high school."

The female scientist scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

"I'll have you know . . . ."

"Agents Fitz and Simmons are SHIELD's dedicated Science Team," interrupted Fury. "Two of the most brilliant scientific minds on the planet."

Fury then gestured towards the woman with the black hair and lipstick.

"And Agent Thirty-Five, Katherine Waynesboro, just so happens to be amongst the most talented data analysts I've ever seen."

Kate nodded in appreciation at Fury's comment, before standing up as tall as she could. Ryker folded his arms as Fury narrowed his eye.

"Just because they're young, doesn't mean they're not worthy. They're on my team, and they're agents of SHIELD for a reason."

"We shouldn't have to justify ourselves to you," said the woman with the glasses and red highlights.

"You were the woman on the phone," said Ryker.

"I was. I'm Agent Three, Victoria Hand. One of the highest ranking and longest serving senior officers of SHIELD. And you should remember that you're not one of us."

"Where's Maria Hill?" asked Ryker, looking back at Fury again. "I thought she was your right hand."

"She is," replied Fury. "Miss Hill is busy elsewhere, on another mission for me with a handful of other operatives. Right now, this is our team."

Ryker then looked at the older man.

"And you are?"

"Agent Six," answered the man. "Felix Blake. I actually have a bit of history with this case. I was at ground zero."

"Ground zero?"

"I was present the day that Bruce Banner underwent his experiment. The one that turned him into the Hulk for the first time. It was, uh . . . . quite the experience."

Ryker took a few minutes to ponder the lineup in front of him before nodding and putting his hands in his pockets.

"I would probably say . . . . nice job, Fury. But I've got a team of my own."

Ryker then turned around, looking at the door he had entered through.

"Talbot!"

Victoria and Blake looked at each other in confusion.

"Talbot?" they said in unison.

Victoria then turned back to Ryker.

"Major Talbot?" she asked.

"No," said a female voice.

A group of five commandos strolled into the room. They were wearing black and grey armoured tactical combat suits, and had pulse rifles strapped to their backs. All but one had helmets on that covered their faces. Fury noted to himself that the entire group was female. The only one without her helmet on was the one standing at the front of the group.

She had long brown hair and striking green eyes. She also had a beauty mark just above the left side of her upper lip. She was wearing her best contemptuous smirk, and was holding her helmet against her left hip. Her right fist was placed on her right hip. She slanted her weight to the right and whipped her hair around before looking directly at Fury.

"Captain Talbot," she said. "Captain Carla Talbot."

The entire SHIELD group all regarded Carla with a certain level of scepticism.

"Talbot," said Fury. "That's a name I thought I'd heard the last of."

"You thought wrong," said Carla.

"I too have a special task group," said Ryker. "They're called the Gamma Corps. All special forces operatives, with advanced training and equipment to deal with threats enhanced by gamma radiation. Namely, the Hulk."

"And they're all girls," blurted out Fitz.

Simmons nudged Fitz with her elbow.

"Fitz . . . ."

Glaring at Fitz, Carla trudged up to him. Using her height to look down at him, Carla watched as Fitz shied away from her, taking great care not to make eye contact.

"Women make better soldiers," said Carla, before pulling out a combat knife from a holster on her leg. "Would you like me to show you how?"

Ryker snapped his fingers.

"That's enough, Captain."

Carla scoffed as Fitz trembled. She then flipped her knife through her fingers a few times before stuffing the blade back in its holster. She stepped back in line as Simmons calmed Fitz down.

"And what made you sign up for this assignment, Captain Talbot?" asked Fury.

"The Hulk is a monster and a murderer," replied Carla. "He's a dangerous and vile enemy who needs to be caught and crushed. He's existed for far too long, and honestly, he needs to be put out of his misery. But the real problem I have with him is that he killed the only man who I've ever truly respected . . . . my older brother."

"Major Glenn Talbot went on a rampage, Captain," said Victoria. "He stole a suit of powered armour and massacred over two dozen . . . ."

Carla again pulled out her knife, this time pointing it at Victoria's throat.

"You shut your whore mouth."

"I said that's enough, Captain!"

Carla looked over her shoulder with derision at Ryker, but again relented and stepped back in line.

"Yes, sir," she said, mockingly.

Everyone took a moment to breathe before continuing.

"General," said Fury. "We called you in because we have some new intel."

"I'm listening," replied Ryker.

"Waynesboro," said Fury.

Kate stepped forward.

"Right. I have come across some information that may finally give us a chance to track down Doctor Bruce Banner. According to my findings, he is in the forests of northern Ontario. I've marked the specific area on the SHIELD data map."

The map screen appeared as a holographic display over the front window of the helicarrier. The map zoomed in automatically over Ontario, before a small area at the north end was highlighted in yellow.

"We're on our way there now," continued Kate. "We'll scour the area, and then . . . ."

Victoria was looking at her phone when she interrupted Kate.

"Director," said Victoria. "I have something you need to see."

Victoria tapped a button on her phone, and a video screen appeared over the holographic display. It showed footage of a street from an aerial view. The footage was from a news report, and the street had numerous civilians fleeing in terror as green pulses of energy destroyed multiple vehicles. The sound then filtered in a second later.

". . . . identity unknown at this time, but what we do know is that this man has somehow been able to hold off over a dozen officers of the Toronto Police Service. Blocks all around Bloor Street East have been cordoned off, with the area being evacuated as we speak."

"The Hulk?" asked Ryker.

"No," said Fury. "This is something else."

". . . . can confirm that . . . . oh my god!"

A large transport truck exploded, causing several chunks of debris to be blasted into the air. As the fireball dissipated, the footage showed a clear view of a man in a red hazmat suit.

"Chen Lu," said Victoria. "The Radioactive Man."

"The hell is he doing there?" asked Blake.

"I thought you lost him," said Ryker, turning to Fury.

"We did. About a month ago. His convoy was hit before he could be transferred to Ravencroft."

"Sir," said Simmons. "Chen Lu is incredibly powerful. He may not be the Hulk, but we need to deal with this now! The police will be slaughtered!"

Fury turned to look at Simmons.

"You're right, but . . . . it doesn't make any sense. What does he have to gain from this? There's something else going . . . ."

"I'll tell you what's going on."

Everyone turned to look at Carla, who had pulled out her pulse rifle.

"What's going on is that Gamma Corps just got their first assignment," she said. "Call him Radioactive Man? Sounds exactly like our sort of guy."

* * *

"I said stay back!"

Chen fired off another radiation blast from his palms, which struck at the closest police squad car. The two officers who were taking cover behind it were blown off their feet, rolling backwards along the pavement. Chen then looked around, scanning both sides of the street. Looking up, he watched as a news helicopter flew overhead, trying to get a good angle on him to secure more footage.

He had been holding the police forces at bay for some time now, having started his assault from inside one of the buildings. Looking up again, he then saw a SHIELD Quinjet soar over the road before hovering a few metres above him.

"Finally," he said.

He charged his right fist with radioactive energy as five commandos leaped out of the back of the Quinjet. They all landed on the cracked pavement, brandishing their pulse rifles. Carla had since put on her helmet, and began calmly walking towards Chen.

"So this is the force SHIELD sends to capture me," said Chen. "They'll have to do better."

"We'll do just fine," retorted Carla.

Chen fired his charged radiation blast directly at Carla, who held up her left forearm as if to block the attack. As the blast struck her body, a white, hexagonal-patterned shield materialized over her combat suit, absorbing the blast. She was not even knocked back at all by the attack. Chen's glowing green eyes widened with surprise.

Carla then smirked as she aimed her pulse rifle forward with one hand, firing off a quick shot. A translucent shockwave pulse jettisoned from the rifle and struck Chen in the chest, launching him backwards and into the air. He landed on the windshield of a car, cracking the vehicle in half.

A police officer ran up to the group of commandos standing behind Carla, who was still casually strolling over to to Chen.

"What's going on here?!" he yelled. "Who are you?"

"Get them out of here," said Carla, not bothering to look behind her.

The commando nearest to the officer pulled out her pulse rifle and fired a blast at the officer's feet, knocking him to his back.

"Stay back," said the commando. "For your own safety."

Chen pushed himself off of the vehicle's wreckage. He then started fuming at Carla.

"Want to try again?" she asked.

Roaring with anger, Chen punched his fist against the ground, creating a large shockwave that tore up the pavement around him for several metres. Carla was blasted off her feet, and the other members of the Gamma Corps jumped to avoid the shockwave. As Carla rolled back to her feet, she shook her head.

"Gamma Corps! Engage!"

The commandos unleashed several rapid-fire pulse blasts from their rifles, which Chen deflected with his radiation shield. He then turned and ran back into the nearby building, with Carla and her commandos giving chase. Breaking through the lobby of the building, Chen smacked a man out of the way, burning a hole through the man's chest with his irradiated palm.

Carla kept sprinting after him, with the other commandos not far behind. Chen fired more radiation blasts as he ran, creating piles of rubble that she was forced to break through. As she continued her pursuit, Fury's voice came in through her intercom.

"Captain Talbot! There are civilians and law enforcement in play! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Stopping the bad guy! Now shut up and lemme do my job!"

Chen broke his way through a concrete wall, slipping along the floor as he did so. More office workers who were in the room started screaming and attempting to flee.

"Nichole!" shouted Carla. "Cut him off at the entry point!"

Carla slid into the room, firing a pulse blast at the ceiling. Pieces of debris broke off and caved in, landing on Chen and startling him. One of the workers was also hit by debris, breaking her leg. She shrieked as she collapsed to the floor. Chen tried to make his way to the door, but was blocked by the commando named Nichole, who bashed him in the face with the back of her rifle.

Chen swatted at Nichole with an open palm, knocking her gun out of her hands. He then fired a radiation blast at her, sending her crashing against the back wall of the nearby hallway. Before he could move, Carla pounced on him from behind, digging her combat knife into one of the valves on his back. She then threw him behind her.

He rolled on the floor before charging his fist again, trying to punch her with a powered right hook. She quickly kicked his arm away before spinning around and landing another kick to his chest, knocking him out of the window. Chen yelled as he fell away and smashed into the road on his back. He groaned in agony as his limbs went limp.

Carla scowled at him from the open window before jumping down. Landing in a three point pose, she then strolled up to him, seeing that he was having trouble staying conscious. She pulled out her modified energy magnum and aimed it at his face as the SHIELD Quinjet pulled around overhead. Before she could fire, she heard Ryker's voice on her intercom.

"Stand down, Captain!"

"Why?"

"Because I ordered you to. The job's done. He's stopped."

"Not for good."

"Your unit is deployed to capture, not to kill. Bring him in alive, Carla."

Carla growled under her breath as she continued to hold her aim. After a few more seconds, she held her pistol up and spun it around her hand before placing it back in her holster. She then turned away as the rest of the Gamma Corps approached her.

"Fine," she said. "You can have this one. But the Hulk is mine."

* * *

"Having trouble keeping your hound in line, General?"

Ryker turned around and looked at Fury with disdain.

"Captain Talbot has a long history of success in the field," said Ryker. "She also has a long history of . . . . brash behaviour."

"Brash?!" asked Victoria. "She ordered her troops to fire on the police!"

"To keep them at bay and out of a fight they couldn't win," replied Ryker. "She gets the job done, and that's what matters."

"Gets the job done, alright," said Fury, folding his arms. "With seemingly zero regard for civilian casualties."

"Don't give me that crap, Fury. You know as well as I the consequences of what we do."

"I can agree with that, General. All I'm saying is . . . . if she lets it go too far, you might have a dangerous situation on your hands. Just make sure you can reign her in when you have to."

"I'll worry about my team. You worry about yours."

Fury reluctantly nodded. Victoria then sighed and put her hands in her pockets.

"Now, the next matter," she said. "What do we do with Chen Lu?"

Blake tilted his head to the side.

"Last time we caught him, he got out fairly easily," he said.

"I can take him," said Ryker. "I have operational control of a high security military facility. I can store him there. Wouldn't want him to slip out from under your fingers again, would you, Fury?"

Fury narrowed his eye before looking over at Victoria and Blake.

"He's right," said Victoria. "Probably better off if we let Ryker take him."

"I agree with Agent Hand's assessment," said Blake.

Fury stroked his chin, thinking for several seconds. He then looked back up at Ryker.

"Okay. He's all yours."

Ryker grinned. Fury then switched the holographic video screen back to Kate's map data.

"Now, back to our main objective," he said. "We have a general area, but little in the way of actually tracking the Hulk down. We have to narrow the search."

"Any ideas on how to do that?" asked Victoria.

"One," said Fury. "I know a guy. Expert tracker. Might be just who we need to end this once and for all."

* * *

As Chen was loaded into a containment unit and placed on a military helicopter, a lone humanoid figure watched him from a window in a building down the street. The figure seemed to be mostly metallic, with certain sections covered in leather clothing and modular armour. A black, grey and maroon colour scheme dictated most of the figure's appearance.

A torn piece of fabric, similar to a bandana, was wrapped diagonally over three quarters of the face, with only the left eye section visible. However, what was visible was metallic, with a silver skull plate and a red, ocular targeting lens over the eye. The targeting lens zoomed in on Chen, before scanning some of the other personnel on the street.

Deathlok stood still, so as to allow the people watching the event through his lens to get as clear a view as possible. He was transmitting the video feed to a secret location, from which two figures were watching. The first was a man with green skin and an elongated forehead, who was sitting in his chair. The second was a gaseous, green feminine form, with a head, hair, torso and arms all made out a type of radioactive vapour.

Ann was floating around Sterns' chair as they both watched Deathlok's video.

"Excellent work, Deathlok," said Sterns. "You have done well. Chen Lu's location transponder is activated, and, it appears that no one can detect it but myself. Exactly as I designed. Return to sentry mode and await further instructions."

Deathlok's video shut off. Ann then floated in front of Sterns.

"Doctor Chen Lu put up quite the performance," she said.

"Indeed," replied Sterns. "The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place."

"So, when do we strike?"

"Not yet, my dear. There's still one last man who has a part to play . . . ."

Sterns pressed a button on the arm of his chair, switching his display screen to a data file on Bruce Banner.

"Soon the Hulk will be ours . . . . and after that, the world."

Ann deviously smiled as she listened to him speak.

"So says . . . . the Leader."


	3. Banner in the Woods

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 3: Banner in the Woods

Pulling open the door to the bar, Fury stepped inside. He casually walked through the establishment with confidence, not bothering to pay any mind to the various patrons. There was a specific man that he was looking for, and he knew exactly where he would be. Seeing the man from behind, Fury approached him and took a seat at the bar counter next to him.

The man had rugged skin and distinctive hair. His muscular arms bulged from under his layman's clothes, and he carried an air of danger about him. Chugging down his beer, the man slammed the glass down on the counter. He then gestured towards the bartender, who walked over to him.

"Reload," the man said.

Fury then held out his hand, getting the bartender's attention.

"Let me," said Fury. "I'll pick up his tab."

The bartender raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and turning around with the glass, ready to fill it again. The man turned to look at Fury.

"Awful kind of you, Nick."

"Figured it'd get you to stay long enough to hear me out."

"I'm listening."

The bartender placed the glass in front of the man and turned around to deal with another customer.

"Got a problem I think you can help me with."

"Kinda busy, Nick."

"What? Doing construction? You making an honest living all of a sudden?"

"Maybe."

"What I got planned is much more fun."

The man and Fury stared at each other for a moment, each one trying to ascertain the motives of the other.

"What kind of fun?" asked the man.

"You heard of Doctor Bruce Banner?"

The man shook his head. He then took a sip of his beer.

"What about the Hulk?"

The man lowered the beer and raised an eyebrow.

"That's what I thought," said Fury. "He's close."

"Close where?"

"Close enough. I have a general area, but I need a tracker to hunt him down. If I knew a better one, I wouldn't be here."

"Heh."

The man took another sip and then put the glass back on the counter.

"Hunting down a monster?"

"That's it, that's all. You'll be compensated for your time, of course."

"One thing."

"Hmmm?"

"I want a crack at him. Alone."

Fury hesitated for a moment before giving his answer.

"Done."

The man shook hands with Fury.

"Good to be working with you again, Nick."

"Same to you, Logan."

* * *

"I just don't think it's a very good idea, sir."

His hands on his hips, Fury turned around to look at Kate. Her face indicated that she was quite flustered, and she was clutching her datapad much harder than she needed to be. For his part, Logan seemed quite amused, leaning his back against the wall and having his arms folded. He was now wearing his trademark yellow and blue combat suit.

Fury looked over at Logan, who chuckled. Fury then turned his eye back to Kate.

"We need him."

Kate shook her head.

"To find Banner, sure, but after? Sir, I am telling you, we don't need to attack. Banner is only a threat when provoked. If you do it my way, we might be able to bring him in without getting into a fight!"

Logan chuckled again. Kate furrowed her brow and scowled at him.

"What's your problem?!"

"Nothing, darlin'," replied Logan. "Just didn't know Nick started recruiting right outta the girl scouts."

Kate scoffed, making a facial gesture to show her disgust. She then turned back to Fury, who exhaled before speaking again.

"We've been over this, Waynesboro. The Hulk's a threat."

"The Hulk, yes. But not Banner."

Kate paused, carefully watching Fury's body language as she chose her next words.

"You brought me in on this because you trusted me, right?"

Fury nodded.

"Because you thought I could be valuable."

"Yes."

"Then listen to me," she said. "I'm telling you, this isn't the right call. Bruce Banner was a scientist. Still is. He's been on the run for over half a decade. He's tired. He's distraught. He just wants to be left alone. Now, I know that's not an option, but if we send someone in to talk to him, rather than try to, I dunno, release the Hulk and hope you can win, well . . . . maybe we can earn his trust. Tell him he doesn't have to run anymore."

Fury sighed.

"He's still a human being!" she cried. "That has to be worth something!"

"Thank you for your assessment, Agent Thirty-Five, but we've got far too much at stake here. It's not just my call. Ryker and the Council both have a say in this, and they would never go for it."

"But sir . . . .!"

"The decision's been made."

Kate sighed.

"That will be all," said Fury.

Fury stepped out of the Quinjet's main section and walked back to the cockpit. Logan smirked at Kate, who rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the chairs on the opposite side of the jet. Fury sat down in the passenger seat in the cockpit, and looked over at the pilot, who was an Asian woman. A copy of her SHIELD identification badge was plastered on the side wall of the cockpit.

It had her photograph, and read 'Agent Fourteen – Melinda May'.

"Approaching target area perimeter," she said.

"What's the word on Ryker's team?" asked Fury.

"They're ready," answered May. "Though they heard about your deal with Logan. Talbot's pissed."

"Well, that's unavoidable."

"Sounds like crazy runs in the family."

"What about Banner?"

May turned her head to face him.

"You agree with Waynesboro?" asked Fury.

May sighed, taking several seconds to respond.

"He's dangerous. I were you? I wouldn't take any chances."

Fury nodded. Pulling out her phone, Kate opened the specialized and untraceable application that she had designed for messaging and communication.

-NEW MESSAGE TO:-

-ELIZABETH ROSS-

 _"You had better hurry. They're closing in. Sending you data for my tracking co-ordinates. Follow it . . . . and hope you can find a way to get him out of there."_

She then put her phone back in her pocket. Logan looked over at her again.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll bring him in nice and quiet, heh heh."

* * *

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Logan shouted as he was tossed backwards, his body smashing through the trunk of a nearby tree hard enough to snap it in half. Landing on the ground, Logan quickly got back to his feet as he snarled at the menacing green creature before him. He had spent the last few hours following any trail he could until he located Banner's cabin, and now the beast known as the Hulk was ready for a fight.

Hulk growled, holding his fists to his sides in a battle ready pose. He then roared again, and Logan retorted with a roar of his own. Unsheathing his adamantium claws, Logan stared down Hulk, whose muscles bulged under his skin as his rage grew.

"Let's try that again," said Logan.

Hulk's response was another roar. Logan leaped towards Hulk, both sets of claws pointing forward. Hulk slammed his fists downward, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Logan's pounce. Unleashing a furious combo of slash attacks on Hulk's chest, Logan pushed the monster back, even managing to break open his skin.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Hulk looked down in dismay as he started to bleed from three parallel gashes on his abdomen. He seemed completely stunned that anything could actually cause him physical harm. Logan smirked as he stepped back, letting Hulk take in the situation. Clenching his teeth, Hulk's neck muscles strained as he glared at Logan with newfound fury.

"Puny claw man hurt Hulk! Puny claw man make Hulk bleed! HULK SMASH PUNY CLAW MAN!"

Logan chuckled, ready to continue the battle. Closing his eyes, Hulk started wildly pounding his fists against the ground, trying to crush Logan. However, Logan was too fast, dodging each strike with little effort, leading Hulk towards another large tree. As Hulk crashed into the tree, Logan dashed around his body before jumping at him from behind.

Stabbing both claws into Hulk's back, Logan sneered as Hulk shouted in pain. Logan then started to repeatedly skewer Hulk's back, drawing out more blood. Hulk then attempted to jump backwards and crush Logan with his body weight, but Logan anticipated this move and scrambled out of the way.

Hulk swung his fist backwards as he turned around, crashing against Logan's side. Logan spun around and collapsed to the ground from the force of the attack. Hulk then jumped into the air, intending to land on Logan. Again Logan scrambled across the ground, barely able to avoid the shockwave caused by Hulk's ground pound.

"Get back here, puny claw man!"

Rolling towards Hulk, Logan leaped upwards and performed an aerial slash, which Hulk blocked with his forearm. Hulk threw a forward jab, but Logan fell under the attack, swiping at Hulk's legs. Hulk then pulled his elbows in, smashing his right one against Logan's back. As he fell to the floor, he could not do anything to counter being seized by Hulk's right hand.

Logan yelled and wildly swung his claws around as Hulk held him up. Roaring into the air, Hulk then threw Logan downwards, slamming him against the grass. Logan shouted in agony as the pain of the savage blow reverberated through his entire body. Hulk looked down at Logan with curiosity as the man started wobbling back to his feet.

"You're tough," said Hulk. "For a little man."

"Bub . . . ."

Logan wiped a small bit of blood off of his mouth.

"You got no idea."

Logan growled and slashed at Hulk again.

* * *

"Quite the grudge match."

Fury looked over at the display screen that showed Victoria's face. She was on the helicarrier, acting as director in Fury's absence. Fury himself was standing on the Quinjet with May and Kate. The other display screen showed the face of Ryker, who was with the Gamma Corps in a military helicopter that was also hovering just outside the battle zone.

"This is how you handle things?" asked Ryker. "Just grab another freak off your shelf and say 'go at it'?"

"Don't see how it's any different from sending Captain Talbot in," replied Fury.

"Captain Talbot is a member of the military, trained for an operation like this. Who is this guy? What are his credentials?"

"He and I have a past," said Fury. "That's all you need to know."

"Hmmph."

"I've had enough!" shouted Carla.

Ryker turned around to look at her.

"I'm going in," she said. "Open the door."

Fury exhaled.

"Captain . . . ."

"Your circus freak had his playtime," said Carla. "My turn."

One of the Gamma Corps commandos pressed a button on the back of the helicopter, opening the cargo compartment door. Carla stepped to the edge of it.

"Gamma Corps! Move out!"

Carla and the Gamma Corps all leaped out of the back of the helicopter before the cargo door closed. Fury put a hand on his forehead as May looked up at him with concern. Victoria rolled her eyes. Ryker just folded his arms, internally hoping that Carla was as ready to finish the job as she claimed she was.

* * *

As Hulk and Logan charged at each other for another bout, both were taken by surprise when a large pulse blast collided with the side of Hulk's ribcage, heaving him cleanly off the ground. The green goliath bellowed with confusion as his body tore through multiple trees, leaving a chaotic mess of wood pieces and torn up grass.

Logan turned his head to where the blast had come from, seeing Carla and the Gamma Corps commandos approaching. Carla pulled a lever on her pulse rifle before holstering it on her back. She then closed her fists and pumped her forearms, causing the armour surrounding them to be charged with green energy.

"The hell are you?" asked Logan.

Carla grinned with an odd mixture of both amusement and malice that even Logan found perturbing. She did not deviate at all from her slow, methodical pacing. Logan's breathing slowed as he regarded the woman walking towards him. He was not a man who readily felt fear, but he was smart enough to know when to be apprehensive about someone.

His animal instincts that had been honed over his decades of combat experience were promptly flaring at Carla. He could read her body language; the harshness of the lines on her face, the cold confidence in her stride, the aura of menace that seemed to follow her wherever she went. He knew to listen to his senses, and they were telling him that no matter how bad the Hulk was, she was a far more dangerous monster.

As Hulk used his left elbow to push himself off the floor, he looked backwards with a dumbfounded face. He could see the outline of a figure approaching from the distance, moving through the trees that were on the edge of the base of a nearby mountain. Squinting with curiosity, he put so much of his attention on the incoming figure that the sounds and feelings of his surroundings melted away.

Hulk calmed down as the figure finally came into view. He was stunned to see that it was feminine, and one that he knew all too well.

"Betty."

Betty made a facial gesture that combined a smile and a gasp upon looking into Hulk's eyes. As Carla walked past Logan, he gestured at her.

"What're you doing? Fury said I take him. Solo."

Carla slyly peered at Logan through the corner of her eye.

"And you did," she said. "You've done quite well. But . . . . I'll take it from here."

Moving far faster than Logan was expecting, Carla drew her energy magnum from its holster and pulled the trigger, shooting him square in the chest. She then fired two more shots, causing him to collapse to the floor.

"Ugh!"

Carla giggled as she held her magnum up.

"Healing factor, right?" she asked. "You'll be fine. Just stay out of my way."

"Captain!" yelled Fury through her intercom. "The hell are . . . ."

Carla groaned as she muted him. She then continued to approach Hulk, who was now standing up and facing away from her. She held her hands out laterally.

"Excuse me!" she mockingly shouted.

Hulk turned around, looking down at Carla as the other members of the Gamma Corps took positions around him. Hulk focused on Carla, sniffing her at first before snarling.

"Who . . . . are you?"

"Who am I? Why . . . . I'm the girl that's going to kill you."

Carla then pumped her forearms again, charging her fists with more green energy.

"NOW!"

Two of the commandos fired electric lashes from their rifles, which latched onto Hulk's wrists. Searing his skin with electricity, Hulk fell to his knees and yelled into the air. Betty screamed as she started running towards Hulk. Putting on her best wicked grin, Carla then rushed for Hulk's chest and began relentlessly punching it with her charged gauntlets.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

The other two commandos fired energy blasts at Hulk as Carla continued her physical assault. As she charged up for a powerful seismic blast, Hulk threw his arms forward, heaving the lashes off and causing the two commandos that were holding him to fall off their feet. Carla took a step back as Hulk threw his fist down.

Reacting with almost inhuman speed, Carla performed a backflip to dodge the attack, landing safely on her feet. Hulk snarled at her again. Having healed from Carla's gunshots, Logan stood back up and saw the altercation happening before him, noticing that Betty was fast approaching Hulk from behind.

"You're a flippy girl? HULK HATES STUPID FLIPPY GIRLS!"

Carla gave him a spiteful smile before firing a double pulse blast from her gauntlets. The blast sent Hulk flying backwards again, right in Betty's path.

"NO!" shouted Logan.

Betty jumped to the side, landing just out of reach of Hulk's body as it slammed against the ground. Logan ran up to Carla.

"You crazy bitch! There's someone over there!"

Logan unsheathed his claws, ready to slash at Carla because of her reckless behaviour. Before he could, Carla fired a surprise blast from the side of her gauntlet, blowing Logan off his feet.

"I said stay out of my way!" shouted Carla.

Betty looked up with fear as Carla then jumped onto Hulk's body. His back was on the ground, and he was writhing in pain. Carla then pulled out her combat knife, pressing a hidden button on the hilt. The blade charged with the same green energy that was in her gauntlet. She yelled as she plunged it down, aiming straight for Hulk's heart.

Everyone there was stunned as they heard a gunshot go off. Carla held her chest in pain as she realized that a bullet had struck her in the ribs. Looking to the side with her mouth agape, Carla saw Betty aiming a pistol at her. Betty then fired two more shots at Carla's chest, knocking her off of Hulk's body.

Hulk turned to look at Betty.

"Run, Hulk!" she shouted. "Run!"

"Not without you!"

The Gamma Corps commandos ran to Carla's side as she heavily breathed. Hulk quickly got up and took Betty in his arms, cradling her before leaping away. Carla stood back up as she pulled one of the bullets out of her armour, which had absorbed the shots. She then watched with disdain as Hulk escaped into the mountains.


	4. Reunion

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 4: Reunion

As always, Chen's breathing was deepened by the gas mask that he wore, which was an internal one that was placed inside of the domed helmet of his hazmat suit. The mask regulated his breathing and ensured that he constantly received the modified form of oxygen that his perpetually irradiated body required to survive.

He was sitting inside of a transparent containment cube, very similar to the one that he was in a month ago when he was taken into custody after his most recent battle against Tasha Stark. At that time, he had been in the employ of Advanced Idea Mechanics, otherwise known as AIM. However, they were unable to dispatch anyone to rescue him because they were busy fighting off a joint assault from the United States Armed Forces and SHIELD.

His hands on his lap, Chen hunched over as the military helicopter he was in started its descent. He thought back to how similar his current situation was to his capture a month ago, when he was first rescued by Deathlok. He remembered how stunned he was to see such an advanced cybernetic organism; a being that was a fusion of organic and synthetic matter, programmed to be a ruthlessly efficient machine for the purposes of assassination and espionage.

He remembered how he was even more surprised when he learned who Deathlok had been sent by. For a long time, Chen had put little thought into the idea that there could be others who had been affected by radiation in the same way he had been. He was first exposed to radiation over ten years ago, back when he was a researcher for a prestigious university in China.

At the time, he was conducting an experiment involving attempts to make radiation therapy less dangerous for cancer patients. Instead, a malfunction involving the apparatus responsible for distributing the radiation caused the entire machine to explode, dousing Chen with enough energy to kill ten people. He was pronounced dead within seconds.

He woke up four days later, his body completely changed.

Despite now being a marvel of modern science, he was silently expelled from the university by the administrative board out of fear of an investor panic, and even ended up being deported from the country as a way of covering up the incident. After designing a specialized suit to keep himself alive, Chen then started to wander the globe until he was approached by an associate of AIM, quickly accepting a research position within the organization.

Chen chuckled to himself as he remembered how AIM helped him to sneak back into his home country so that he could personally kill all of the members of the administrative board and their families.

Now, however, things were different. He had since met others who had been mutated by radiation, just as he was. Deathlok had introduced him to his master, Samuel Sterns, a fellow scientist who called himself the Leader. He was also joined by Ann Darnell, a woman who had been transformed into a living gaseous form.

Chen was finally jostled out of his drifting thoughts as his containment unit was carted out of the back of the helicopter. He looked around as he saw that he was being led into a military installation built into the side of a desert mountain. Once inside, he was rolled through numerous hallways, until he reached the detention wing.

There were several cells, each one with a green industrial door with a yellow number painted on the front. While most of the cells were uniform, the one in the centre was much larger, and did not have a number on it, instead just having an 'A' as the only marking. There were two gigantic tungsten pistons that held the door in place.

Chen turned to one of the soldiers moving his containment unit.

"What's in there?"

The soldier looked at him with surprise, taken aback because of how silent Chen had been for the entire trip.

"Man, you don't wanna know."

Chen sneered as he looked at the door again. He thought he could hear a faint growling noise coming from behind it. The door was so large that it went from the floor to the ceiling, and Chen couldn't possibly imagine what was so dangerous that it required such a confinement. He figured that it was designed for the Hulk, but obviously there was something else already occupying the room.

Something far worse.

Chen was placed inside of his cell, and was soon left alone. Sighing as he grew accustomed to his new environment, he waited a couple of hours before an internal heads-up display appeared in his helmet. It flashed a few strings of data for a brief moment before dissipating. A second later, Chen started to hear a voice that seemed to come from within his mind.

"Suit uplink established," said Sterns. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Data feedback is secured and optimized. I will be feeding you status updates regularly."

"Is this gambit of yours going to work?"

"Why, my friend, would you even ask? Of course it will work."

"It's just that you saved me from being sent to prison . . . . and then your next ploy involves me getting sent to prison."

"You won't be there long, my friend. After all . . . . it's all part of the plan."

* * *

"Logan . . . ."

"Don't start, Nick."

Logan, who had since changed out of his combat uniform and back into his civilian clothing, walked away from Fury. He went up to his motorcycle that he had parked outside of town, and didn't bother look over at Fury as he got on.

"Logan!"

Logan sighed and reluctantly turned his head to meet Fury's eye.

"I know that . . . ."

"No, Nick, you don't know. Don't know what you're doing anymore. Met my share of hotheads, sure . . . . hell, even was one for a damn long time. You and me know that."

Fury took in a breath as he listened, knowing what was coming next.

"But her . . . . she's no hothead. That there's a fuckin' maniac. Knew it, soon as I laid eyes on her. She's a monster, Nick. One of the worst I've ever seen, and you know I've seen some bad ones."

"So have I."

"You're working with her."

Fury put his hands in his coat pockets, taking a few seconds to look at the ground before he continued.

"My options were limited," he said. "There's so much . . . ."

"You've let yourself go, Nick. I know we did some things we aren't proud of, but there was a line. The guy I knew . . . . the one I served with . . . . the one I bled with . . . . would never work with someone like that. You'd have put her in a cage, where she belongs."

Fury and Logan both went silent for a few moments.

"Where are you gonna go?" asked Fury.

"Don't know. Don't stay in one place too long nowadays. Just sorta . . . . drifting along."

"I know that this went south, but . . . . I might have something else for you. It's . . . . a school for mutants. Good place. Had my eye on it for a while now."

Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Might be able to do some good there. I'll have Coulson call you about it."

"Alright."

"Logan."

Fury paused before he asked his next question.

"We good?"

Logan gulped before he responded.

"Nick . . . . you're one of the few people I actually trust. Been on a long, hard road together, and we've seen some shit. You helped me when no one else would . . . . so, yeah. But Nick . . . . as your friend, I'm warning you . . . . get away from her, because I've seen the eyes of killers. Not just people who kill cause they have to. The kind that like it, live for it. And boy, does she have them."

Logan turned on the engine, and drove off along the dirt road out of town, not bothering to look back. Rubbing his forehead for a moment, Fury then turned around, putting his hands back in his coat pockets. He then made his way back to the Quinjet that May had landed in the forest, ready to take him back to the helicarrier.

* * *

Fighting to regain her breath, Betty watched as Bruce shrunk back down to his human form. She was leaning against a large rock, with a hand on her chest. Her eyes were sullen as they observed him collapse from exhaustion, his bare chest colliding against the muddied ground. The two of them were inside of a cavern that was built into the side of a mountain.

Betty had lost track of how long and far they had fled while Bruce was the Hulk, but she didn't actually care. Seeing him there, in front of her in that moment, was enough to cause all of her inclinations towards pragmatism to melt away. As he sputtered and pushed himself off the floor, she trudged over and got down on her knees beside him.

Gently grasping his closest shoulder, she helped him to get into the same kneeling position that she was. She used her free hand to press against the contours of his chest, swiping off some of the stray mud that had affixed itself to his skin. He barely had time to recapture his own breath before his eyes opened and he looked at her.

His gaze was empty, as if he was unable of recognizing what was happening. She had only seen him like this once before: when the Hulk had ran off with her after his battle with Ruth Bat-Seraph in Santa Fe last year. Like now, she had watched him transition out of his monstrous form, and had been met with the same empty gaze, as if his mind had not fully recovered from being reduced to such a bestial state.

For a couple of minutes, they both just stayed there, relatively motionless and staring into each other's eyes. Then, after swallowing and blinking, sentience seemed to return to Bruce's pupils. Betty noted to herself how beautiful his eyes were once they reverted to their natural state. While she now knew that he could speak, they both silently decided not to, instead choosing to just take a few minutes to appreciate each other's presence.

They had not seen each other in quite some time, and they were both still somewhat in a state of shock at being reunited. Bruce then reached out as if to touch Betty's face, but she stopped him by grabbing his wrist. Without speaking, she then pulled his hand down so that it was placed against her breast, and within seconds they gave in to their urges.

The sexual encounter that followed was not ideal. Their bodies more smashed against each other rather than truly operating in unison. They sloppily tore off their clothes, not caring that they were becoming caked with filth and moisture. As they pressed into each other, they rolled their bodies against the grass and mud, and more than a few times winced in pain when they would lay down against various small rocks that littered the cavern floor.

As their loins crashed together repeatedly, both Bruce and Betty found that what they were doing was far more haphazard than they would have liked. They had both been so overwhelmed with emotion that they hadn't even realized how desperate they appeared to be. This epiphany was something else they silently shared, but it did not stop them from finishing; rather, it spurred them to get it over with as soon as possible.

As Bruce finished inside her, Betty privately sighed with relief upon remembering that she had an extra set of clothes both for herself and Bruce in a satchel that was stashed along with her motorcycle. She then sat up, wrapping her arms around her bent knees. Bruce sidled over to his pants, frowning as he pulled them back on over his legs.

Once they had both put their clothes back on, Betty stood up and walked back over to the large rock. Leaning against it, she ran her fingernails through her hair a few times, ruffling out small specks of dirt and blades of grass. As Bruce stood back up, ROB deactivated his invisibility matrix.

"Hello, Doctor Banner!"

Betty shrieked as she aimed her pistol at ROB. Bruce threw up his hands.

"The hell is that?!"

"Betty! Betty! Calm down!"

"Please, Doctor Ross, don't shoot me! Bullet holes might make it more difficult to accomplish my assigned tasks!"

Betty blinked a couple times.

"What the . . . ."

Bruce reached forward and pressed his hand against the one Betty was holding the pistol with.

"It's alright, he's with me," said Bruce. "Betty, this is ROB. ROB, Betty."

"A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Ross. Doctor Banner has done nothing but sing your praises. Well, technically he's done many other things beyond that, actually . . . . but, well, whenever he speaks of you it's always with a positive connotation!"

Betty looked back and forth between Bruce and ROB a few times before she finally lowered her pistol.

"What is this? Your . . . . personal robot?"

"Something like that," answered Bruce. "It's, it's complicated."

"When Doctor Banner transformed into the Hulk, I activated my invisibility matrix, to ensure that I was not detected. Then, I followed you both through the forest and to this cavern. I was going to say something once I arrived, but you seemed to want a bit of privacy, so I stayed invisible until you were done."

Betty shook her head, clearly disturbed.

"You were watching . . . .?"

"Betty, please. ROB has a bit of a . . . . personality. He doesn't mean anything by it. He's . . . . been with me for this whole year, okay? He's helped me. A lot. I trust him."

"Trust him? Didn't you build him?"

"Uh . . . . no. Look, it's, it's a long story, and we should probably get a move on. They'll be looking for us."

"They're always looking for you. They just started looking for me."

Bruce nodded in agreement with Betty's statement. She then pulled out her phone. Bruce looked down at her other hand, and blinked upon seeing the pistol again.

"Wait . . . . why do you have a gun?"

"Huh? Oh . . . . uh, I have it for emergencies. Saved your life, actually. There was uh . . . . some commando chick. She was gonna kill you, so . . . . I shot her."

Bruce didn't respond to Betty's story. He took a few moments to think before speaking again.

"Where did you learn to use a pistol?"

"Learned a lot of things over the last year," said Betty as she put her pistol back in its holster. "I mean, I've been looking for you. Made a few contacts, got a motorcycle . . . . trained with some weapons. Just in case. Seemed like a good idea. Pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, hand grenades . . . . rocket launchers . . . ."

"Rocket launchers?!"

Betty shrugged.

"Pays to be prepared."

"Where'd you learn all this?"

"My father's a general, Bruce. All I had to do was ask."

"Right. But, but what about your job? At the university?"

"Sabbatical."

Bruce scoffed.

"Hell of a sabbatical."

Betty looked at her phone again.

"Come on. My bike's not far from here. We have to move."

Bruce looked over at ROB.

"Coming, ROB?"

"Of course, Doctor Banner! Always happy to help."


	5. Freeway Threeway

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 5: Freeway Threeway

Arriving at the place where Betty had stashed her motorcycle, both she and Bruce were relieved to find that everything was the same as when she had left it. Betty eagerly opened her satchel to reveal the extra set of clothes she had brought. After changing and discarding their old garments, Betty reached into her satchel again and pulled out a medical injector.

Betty waved the injector in front of Bruce's face. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at it, and ROB did the same.

"What is that, Doctor Ross?"  
"This . . . . is a special something I designed just for you."

"Just for me?!"

Betty rolled her eyes.

"No, not for you, ROB," she said. "For Bruce."

"Oh," said ROB. "Yes, yes, that makes sense."

Bruce chuckled at ROB's comment before looking back at the injector. He took in a few breaths before he asked the obvious question.

"What's in it?"

Betty sighed, before taking the injector and holding it in both hands.

"It's . . . . hope."

Bruce blinked as he waited for her to elaborate.

"Something I was working on. Went back to the old lab data, and . . . . well, it's a start. A temporary antidote. The serum, once in your bloodstream, should give you a grace period. You'll be safe for twelve hours."

Bruce blinked again, before staring down at the injector with awe. He had never been able to get even a temporary antidote to work over all of the time that he had been on the run. Every serum he had ever attempted had ended up a failure, usually because he could spend so little time in any one location, and never had access to decent laboratory equipment.

Betty sighed again before reaching forward and holding the injector out to Bruce. He wordlessly took it from her hand, before looking down at it, rubbing it with his fingers. He could hardly believe that it actually existed.

"It's untested, obviously," said Betty. "Don't exactly have many people running around with . . . ."

"I understand. I . . . . I trust you. Thank you."

Betty smiled. Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes, he then held the injector up to his neck. Taking almost a full minute to mentally prepare, he then finally jutted it against his skin and pressed the button on the injector. He winced as he felt the serum enter his veins, pulling the injector out once it was finished.

For a few minutes, both Bruce and Betty just stood there and waited. When nothing happened, they shared a smile before warmly embracing. Betty allowed a few tears to fall down her face and onto Bruce's shoulder before the hug ended. She then gestured towards her motorcycle.

"Come on."

"What about me?" asked ROB.

Betty held her satchel up, handing it to Bruce.

"You wear this," she said, before pointing at ROB. "You, get in there."

ROB turned and looked at the satchel.

"Why am I always travelling inside of backpacks and such?"

"Because it works, ROB," said Bruce. "Now shut up and get in."

"Very well. At least we get to go on a new adventure! Speaking of which . . . . where are we going, exactly?"

ROB floated into the satchel as Bruce slung it over his shoulder. Betty and Bruce then got onto the motorcycle, with Betty driving and Bruce holding onto her from behind.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too," said Bruce. "Where are we going?"

Betty exhaled as she started driving, heading out of the forest and towards a nearby road.

"One of my new contacts might be able to help you with something more permanent. Not sure yet, but it's the most promising lead I have. Still, I'd rather not discuss it just yet . . . . you never know who might be listening."

"So . . . . a surprise?"

"You could say that."

"Surprises!" shouted ROB. "How exciting!"

As Betty drove down the empty road, Deathlok stepped out from behind one of the trees, zooming in his ocular lens.

* * *

Sterns folded his hands together as he watched the video feed being sent to him via Deathlok's neural link. Ann floated around Sterns' chair as she also watched the footage.

"How interesting," he said. "A temporary antidote? We may be able to move up our timetable."

"How so?" asked Ann.

"The only reason we could not acquire Banner as soon as possible is because engaging him would trigger a transformation that we could not overcome. However . . . . if Banner can't transform, then he's just a man. An important man, of course . . . . but just a man, and one that can easily be captured."

Ann made a moaning noise as she then flew over in front of Sterns' field of vision.

"But what about the surprise party?"

"We'll still have it, of course," answered Sterns. "But I cannot give away such an ample opportunity. Besides, I'm quite sure Chen will be very happy to be let out earlier than expected."

Ann chuckled, her laugh carrying a hint of hissing that had become inherent to her voice since she had been transformed into her gaseous state. She then sidled back to her position behind Sterns' left shoulder.

"Deathlok," said Sterns. "Pursue the target. Acquire Banner and bring him to me. As for Doctor Ross and that traitorous little orb . . . . kill them."

* * *

"Aren't you glad you received that antidote now, Doctor Banner?"

"Shut up, ROB!"

Bruce screamed as Betty swerved through two lanes of oncoming traffic before darting back to the right side of the highway, having placed a large truck between them and their pursuer. Bruce desperately clung to Betty's body, his eyes clenched shut and his chest profusely pounding. For his part, ROB was bouncing inside of the satchel, which had the zipper open just enough so that he could see outside, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Looking behind them, ROB saw their pursuer, Deathlok, on his own motorcycle. The cycle was heavily modified, with heavy black armour plating placed over all of the internal components, and attachment modules that seemed to latch Deathlok's limbs to the vehicle. There were also twin cannons affixed to the sides of the front wheel.

Weaving between various vehicles as he tried to reestablish a clear line of sight with Betty, Deathlok then fired a blast from the twin cannons, barely missing his target. Scowling, Betty then swerved hard to the left, trying to gain some distance on him. Deathlok responded by boosting past the truck and smashing his way through a passing car so that he was close behind.

"Doctor Ross! I believe this man intends to do us harm! It would be most prudent of you to stop him from doing that!"

Betty wordlessly pulled out her pistol and aimed behind her, blindly firing off several shots. Only a handful of the bullets hit Deathlok, with most of them bouncing off. The last one struck him in the throat, jostling his entire body and causing him to lose control of his motorcycle for a moment. Betty used this small advantage to speed out of his line of sight.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" shouted Betty.

"Like I know?" asked Bruce.

"I am not aware of his identity," said ROB. "However, I do believe that he does not like us very much!"

Betty rolled her eyes.

"Your insight's astounding."

"Thank you, Doctor Ross!"

As Betty continued to speed down the highway, a SHIELD Quinjet rocketed into view overhead. Spinning around, it then doubled back and ended up flying parallel to the highway, matching Betty's speed. Betty and Bruce could then hear May's voice sounding over the loudspeaker.

"Stand down, Doctor Ross! This is a direct order from an agent of SHIELD! I repeat, stand down, or we will take you in by force!"

Betty didn't bother to respond in any way, focusing instead on maintaining her speed. After a few moments of waiting, the Quinjet then broke off its holding pattern and soared upwards so that it was directly overhead of the highway. May flipped a switch on her command console, and a hatch on the underbelly of the Quinjet opened up.

"Go get her," she said.

As the hatch finished opening, a motorcycle dropped out of it, with Carla driving. Landing between two trucks, she immediately burst past them, mentally scanning for the fastest route to navigate through the highway traffic. As she narrowed her eyes and pressed her acceleration, Ryker's voice came in through her intercom.

"Take in Banner and eliminate the third party. No mistakes this time, Captain."

"I didn't make any mistakes last time. Bitch shot me. She's going down, just like Banner is."

"We need Banner, Captain. I know you have feelings about this, but we need him. His physiology may hold the key to . . . ."

"Spare me the hard sell, General. I meet him, he dies."

"Captain . . . ."

"You can study him when he's a corpse. Isn't that what they have dissections for? Don't worry . . . . I'll bring him back as intact as I can."

Carla put on her best mocking tone, showing a clearly feigned sweetness.

"I promise," she said.

Deathlok fired another blast from his twin cannons, tearing apart one of the sedans in his path. Boosting forward, he found that he was nearly parallel with Betty's cycle. She again opened fire with her pistol, but this time Deathlok was prepared, holding up his left forearm and equipping a metal shield that formed out of his wrist.

Her shots deflected by the shield, Betty growled under her breath. Deathlok then switched the module on his left arm, causing it to form a plasma cannon that emerged from his shoulder. As he was about to fire, Carla caught up with him, pulling out her energy blade. Swinging down hard with a slash that targeted his back wheel, Carla cleanly severed off a piece of the armour plating on Deathlok's cycle.

The force of the attack threw him off balance, causing his plasma shot to go off at a poor angle, harmlessly tearing through the air above Betty's head. He then turned to see Carla pointing her energy magnum at his face.

"Dodge this, scrap heap."

A large part of Deathlok's face plate was torn apart by Carla's bullet. Despite this, he was still able to swerve hard enough to ram into Carla's cycle on purpose, before throwing out a sideways jab that connected with her right cheek. He then once again swapped the module on his arm, changing his wrist into a cutting laser, which he used to slice off half of Carla's front wheel.

"Agh!"

Launched off the bike as it was torn asunder, Carla flipped backwards, landing on a transport truck that was behind her. Reaching out, she grabbed the front end of the cargo container, keeping herself from flying further away. She then aimed her magnum again at Deathlok, firing another shot that severed his left arm's connection to the cycle.

Deathlok's body became detached from his vehicle, causing him to smash against the concrete road and spin around. His motorcycle, using its internal direction technology, stayed at a constant speed and was otherwise not affected, driving itself perfectly well without an occupant. As Deathlok slid past Carla's transport truck, he used his right hand to aim a grapple launcher, which snagged the back end of the truck and allowed him to be carried along with it.

As all this was happening, Betty continued to gain further distance from their pursuers. For his part, Bruce was still riddled with anxiety.

"Please don't let me die please don't let me die please don't let me die . . . ."

"You're not gonna die!" yelled Betty.

"Actually, in all likelihood, we are all going to cease function at some . . . ."

"SHUT UP, ROB!" shouted Bruce and Betty in unison.

Deathlok retracted his grapple cable, hurling himself onto the cargo container of the truck. Carla turned around and snarled at him as she watched his left arm equip an extra hand to replace the one she had shot off. He then charged towards her as she tried to blast him again with her magnum. This time he blocked the shot with his wrist shield before seizing her by the throat.

Equipping his cutting laser, Deathlok moving his arm up forward to try and decapitate her with the weapon. Before he could, Carla threw up her legs and wrapped them around his head. Twisting her thighs, Deathlok was forced to let go of her throat before she slammed his body against the top of the cargo container.

Turning her head to see how far away Betty was getting, Carla scowled as she pumped the gauntlet on her left hand. Throwing her arm up, she caused a seismic rupture to form on the road just ahead of Betty, nearly causing the motorcycle to flip over. Carla then fired a pulse blast that destroyed two cars, with Betty barely dodging it by sliding sideways into another lane of traffic.

Sensing that Deathlok was standing up, Carla spun around and landed a punch on his face. This wasn't enough to stagger him, as he countered with two jabs to her stomach and an uppercut to her jaw. Roaring in frustration, Carla fired a twin pulse blast from her gauntlets, knocking Deathlok off the truck.

Syncing his trajectory data to his motorcycle, the vehicle reoriented itself so that Deathlok would land on it, and he instantly took off again, continuing his pursuit of Betty. Firing more blasts from his twin cannons, Deathlok destroyed another truck on the road to clear a path to Betty's cycle. ROB had a clear view of the approaching cybernetic assassin.

"I have had quite enough of you!" said ROB, as his blue eye turned red.

ROB then fired a laser blast from his optical centre, connecting directly with Deathlok's torso. The cyborg was jettisoned from his bike as it exploded, and he crashed face first into the pavement before being run over by a sedan. Bruce looked back at ROB with pure shock on his face.

"ROB . . . . you . . . ."

"Always happy to help!"

Betty nodded in approval.

"Nice work. Now, look in the bag and gimme a grenade!"

Still standing on the transport truck, Carla yelled as she fired off more pulse blasts, trying to destroy Betty's cycle to no avail. Reaching out with his retractable appendages, ROB handed Betty a grenade from inside the satchel. Biting off the pin, Betty looked back and tossed it right towards the truck Carla was on.

Carla's eyes grew wide as she saw what was coming towards her.

"Oh, fuck . . . ."

Carla was cut off by the grenade exploding under the cargo container, blowing the truck into the air and jettisoning her skywards. Wildly flailing all of her limbs, Carla shrieked as she fell off of the highway, landing on top of a passing bus on a lower street. The force of her impact put a huge dent in the roof of the bus.

All of her bones brimming with agony, Carla gritted her teeth as she fought to stay conscious.

"I'm gonna kill her . . . . I'm gonna kill her . . . ."

Smiling with satisfaction, Betty then swerved to an off ramp, before jumping over the edge and landing on a lower street. May tried to follow her in the Quinjet, but she quickly lost her amidst the concrete jungle. Betty made sure to avoid any further pursuers by taking a zigzag route through the city.

"Holy shit," said Bruce, his adrenaline finally draining.

"Guess that was the antidote's stress test."

"Yeah. Shit."

Riding silently for a few minutes, Bruce then spoke again.

"So really . . . . where are we going?"

"Over the border."

"What?! They'll have . . . ."

"The border covered. I know. That's why we're not crossing the border. We're going around it."

"I don't . . . ."

"I have a boat waiting for us. It'll take us right to where we wanna go."

"And where is it we wanna go?"

Betty shrugged.

"I told you. It's a surprise."

* * *

Shambling along with broken leg joints, Deathlok trudged to an empty back street in a downtrodden residential area. Having since activated his distress beacon, he then watched as an advanced, black and green stealth craft, in the shape of a V, turned off its invisibility matrix and landed on the street in front of him.

Deathlok clambered over once the loading ramp dropped. Once he was inside, the ramp closed and the stealth craft turned invisible again as it boosted into the clouds.


	6. Science Team

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 6: Science Team

"Please, remain calm. I am trying to help you, after all."

Carla sighed as she stopped fidgeting. She was sitting on a medical table as Simmons looked her over, taking note of all of the cuts and bruises on her skin. Carla had changed out of her battle armour and was now wearing her civilian clothing. As her fury slowly melted into sullenness, Carla finally let some of the tension in her face fade away.

Simmons pressed her hands along the ridges on Carla's back.

"Doesn't seem like anything major's broken. Quite remarkable, really. Your armour must have absorbed all of the shock."

Carla rolled her eyes.

"Uh huh."

"Too bad it couldn't have absorbed all of your personality."

Carla growled, but otherwise did not respond to Simmons' jab. Simmons then turned to see Fitz walking into the room with several sheets in his hands.

"How's she look?" asked Simmons.

"X-Rays check out," answered Fitz. "She's fine. You know, aside from the whole psych . . . . psych bit."

"Fitz."

"Stop talking. Got it."

Carla scowled at Fitz, who took a nervous step back. He then looked down at the ground as he puts the sheets on a nearby counter, before walking off to the other part of the lab. Simmons looked at Fitz with saddened eyes. Getting a good look at Simmons' back, Carla ran her eyes up and down the woman's figure, with her gaze lingering on Simmons' shoulder blades for a moment.

"He's scared of you," said Simmons.

Carla scoffed.

"He should be."

"Well I'm not," said Simmons, turning around and defiantly putting her hands on her hips. "Just because you walk around with a big knife and act like a big bully doesn't mean I have to be afraid of you. I only fear what I can respect, and you certainly don't qualify."

Carla sneered.

"What, just cause you can treat me, you think you're better than me?"

"I try not to place value judgements on people. I'm treating you because it's my job, not because I like you, which I don't. Personally I would prefer not to have to work with someone so unpleasant. Besides, what are you gonna do anyway? Huh? Take out one of your laser blades and cut me up?"

Carla raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Slice me to itty bitty ribbons and take a gander at all my innards? You would do that, wouldn't you? But you won't, because you would be in big trouble, with . . . . with . . . ."

Carla blinked a couple times as Simmons looked around the lab, seeing that she and Fitz were alone with her. The colour then drained from Simmons' face as she turned back to the woman sitting in front of her.

"You know what? Never mind. Afraid of you now. Don't cut me. Please?"

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the lab opened by retracting into the ceiling. Blake walked in, followed by Ryker. Blake gestured towards Carla.

"Here you are, General," said Blake.

He then put his hands behind his back, staying near the door. Carla shuffled off the medical table and stood up.

"Ah, yes, Mister Ryker," said Simmons, as she beckoned Fitz to come over and stand beside her.

"How's my Captain doing?" asked Ryker.

Simmons opened her mouth as if to answer Ryker's question, but she was cut off when Carla shoved past her.

"I'm fine," said Carla. "Just let me out of here."

Fitz folded his arms and pursed his lips.

"You're welcome."

Carla turned around with a scowl on her face, but held herself back from actually doing anything. Ryker shifted his eyes from her to the two scientists who were clearly overshadowed by Carla's statuesque figure.

"I appreciate what you've done," said Ryker. "Even if, you'll have to forgive me . . . . what were your names again?"

"I'm Fitz. She's Simmons."

"He's engineering. I'm biochem."

"Which means, I build stuff. She dissects it."

Simmons eyes perked up.

"Oh, are we gonna do the thing?"

Fitz turned his head to look at his partner.

"The thing?"

"You know, the thing, the thing!"

"Oh, yeah, the thing! I was hoping we were gonna try that out!"

"Yes, yes!"

Ryker and Carla looked at each other and shrugged. They then both looked at Blake, who also shrugged.

"I've got no idea what they're talking about," said Blake.

Fitz and Simmons both struck a pose, with their backs placed against each other. Everything went silent before Simmons spoke up.

"You wanted to know who we are?"

Fitz and Simmons closed their eyes for a few moments as they allowed the atmosphere to settle in. They then broke into a synchronized routine as Ryker, Carla and Blake all watched in utter confusion.

"Masters of our fields, for we know them best," said Fitz.

"Each day we put our lab skills to the test," said Simmons.

"We strive to be better than all the rest . . . ."

"To find all the answers is our main quest!"

Both Fitz and Simmons sharply turned their faces to look at their audience.

"Fitz!"

"Simmons!"

The two scientists then faced their bodies forward and held their arms out in what looked like battle ready poses.

"For we are the ones that the world call . . . ."

"When they need an answer, big or small!"

The last segment they spoke in unison.

"Goooooooo . . . . SCIENCE TEAM!"

Fitz and Simmons held their poses for a full minute as Ryker, Carla and Blake all blinked, seemingly unable to process what they had just witnessed. Ryker then scratched the back of his head.

"Right. Okay."

Ryker turned around and walked out of the room, followed by Carla. Fitz and Simmons both gave a pleading look at Blake, who shook his head before also leaving the room. Once the door shut, the two scientists held their arms up in frustration.

"Ugh!"

"They just don't understand!"

"After all our rehearsal! It's like they don't want it to be a thing!"

"It'll be a thing, Jemma. We'll make it a thing. Don't worry about that."

"It was so well synchronized . . . ."

"It was, but . . . ."

"But what?"

"Told you we should've had the monkey. It needed the monkey."

"Ugh, Fitz!"

* * *

His forearms placed together and pressed against the railing, Bruce stared out at the ocean sunset. He was standing on a commercial ferry, which they were using to move between Canada and the United States. There were hundreds of people on the boat, which at first had made Bruce feel a bit uneasy, but Betty assured him that not only had she taken all of the preliminary precautions to secure safe passage, but that her government source had ensured that they would not be followed.

For now, Bruce just focused on sorting his thoughts together. The last twenty four hours had been a whirlwind of action and emotion, with the whole life that he had spent building over the last year ripped out from under him. Grabbing both of his elbows with his opposite hands, he rubbed the skin of his arms as he continued to ponder.

He barely noticed when Betty approached him from behind, taking a spot next to him and assuming the same pose.

"Nice night, isn't it?"

Bruce blinked before he answered.

"Yeah."

Betty looked down as she considered what she was going to say next.

"Your, uh . . . . your friend's enjoying the room. Bouncing around in there. He said there's plenty of stuff to scan."

Bruce laughed.

"Where did you get that guy?"

Bruce licked his lips before answering Betty's question.

"Last, um . . . . last year. Last time we saw each other. He and I met, and . . . . I thought I could get a cure. I was led, heh . . . . led. More like misled. Right to someone who said he had the answers. Same guy who built ROB."

"Who?"

Bruce sighed.

"Sterns."

"Sterns? Professor Sterns?"

"Yeah."

Betty blinked and turned her head so she was looking at the ocean for a moment as she considered this new information. She then looked back over at Bruce as he continued.

"He was working with your father at the time, but he also had his own . . . . goals. Told me that he had been looking for me, and that ROB was built to find me. Bring me to him. He had a secret lab, middle of nowhere . . . . and he told me the truth."

"What truth?"

Bruce gulped as he prepared to speak about the thing that had been tormenting him since he had learned it.

"That it was his fault," said Bruce. "All of it. That he . . . . he knew the experiment would go wrong. From the beginning."

Betty felt her breathing stop as she listened.

"Said he saw something in my genes. A mutation. Passed down from my father, who . . . . who did his own gamma experiments on himself. But Sterns wanted to see what would happen, so, he didn't tell anyone. Anyone else was in that room . . . . it wouldn't have worked. But with me . . . . with me . . . . with me, I got . . . . all this."

Betty exhaled as the two of them went silent again. She then reached out and grasped his right hand with her left. Bruce closed his eyes for a few seconds before Betty spoke up.

"What happened next?"

"Sterns said he wanted it out of me. Said he wanted it for himself."

"What?"

"He wanted the power. He'd been doing experiments on his own, even killed Amadeus and used him as a guinea pig."

Betty cringed.

"Built a device to . . . . to transfer it. I told him the power couldn't be controlled, that it had to be erased, but he wouldn't listen. Then, you got taken by Talbot, and . . . . and ROB helped me. Destroyed the device, let the Hulk escape . . . . so that you could be saved. He's been with me ever since."

"What happened to Sterns?"

"I don't know."

Betty pressed her head against Bruce's shoulder.

"None of this is your fault," she said.

"Maybe . . . . but think about it. This wasn't an accident. I had something in me . . . . something my father gave me . . . . it was inside me all along. It's been part of me my whole life."

"What are you saying?"

"What if . . . . what if I'm not supposed to get rid of it? What if I can't? What if it's just part of who I am?"

"Do you believe that?"

Bruce paused before answering her question.

"I don't know what to believe."


	7. Brain Trust

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 7: Brain Trust

Deathlok sat up as the operating arms around the repair apparatus retracted back into the ceiling. He extended and tested his newly refurbished limbs as his internal heads-up display reactivated. Strapping the piece of cloth back over three quarters of his face, he then pushed himself off of the repair table and walked forward, ensuring his legs were functioning properly.

Sterns nodded with satisfaction at seeing Deathlok returned to optimal operating capacity. Deathlok then took his post behind the right side of Sterns' chair. Ann floated her way around Deathlok, looking over his new circuitry and replaced parts. She then playfully waved her hand in front of his ocular lens, knowing that he would not respond.

Ann laughed to herself before taking her spot behind the left side of Sterns' chair.

"He looks all fine and dandy again," said Ann. "Still, that Doctor Ross girl sure did do a number on him."

"Yes," said Sterns. "But Deathlok's inability to complete his mission matters little. It was an opportunity of convenience, and failing to capitalize on it barely registers as a setback. We're still on course, and the gamma locator is working admirably."

Ann's eyes widened with awe as she looked at a display screen that showed a global map, with a handful of blips on it.

"Hey, look, it's us!"

"Yes. There are only a few people on Earth who emit a gamma signature . . . . and I can track them anywhere they go. Interesting . . . ."

"What is it?"

"Doctor Ross is taking Banner somewhere I certainly wasn't expecting . . . ."

* * *

". . . . I've never been to New York City."

Bruce looked up and down the streets of the bustling metropolis, allowing his eyes to soak in the sights of the wondrous locale. He was once again on the back of the motorcycle, holding on to Betty as she drove the vehicle. ROB was again in the satchel, and peered out from time to time to scan various items they came across.

"Since we've arrived, I've scanned thirty seven new items. It feels so good!"

"So, a guy like me in the busiest city in America. Not gonna lie, wasn't expecting this."

"It's not the city," said Betty. "It's who's here."

"So can I finally know who we're going to see?"

"Sure. Look up."

Bruce blinked before doing as Betty said. He then realized that they were headed straight towards a nearly four hundred metre tall skyscraper. It had a holographic light construct emitting from the roof, which was a blue, encircled, rotating 4.

* * *

"Welcome to the Baxter Building! My name is Herbie, and I am the artificial intelligence system designed by Doctor Reed Richards to manage the building! How can I be of service?"

Bruce and Betty were standing in the lobby of the building, near the elevators. A small black dome protruded from the ceiling, with a blue light on it, and this was where Herbie's voice seemed to be coming from. Bruce looked over at Betty with a half-smile.

"Remind you of anyone?"

ROB burst out of the satchel, flying right up to the dome.

"Oh, hello," said Herbie. "Who are you?"

"Another artificial intelligence!" yelled ROB. "How exciting! I cannot believe it! I never thought I would see the day!"

"You are an artificial intelligence too?"

"I am! I am!"

"Why, this fact simply must be celebrated! What's your name?"

"I'm ROB!"

"I'm Herbie! Let's be friends!"

Betty cleared her throat as she stared sternly at ROB, her arms folded. ROB chuckled before floating back down behind his human companions.

"I'm sorry," said ROB. "I got a bit carried away."

"It's fine, ROB," said Betty. "You can talk with Herbie all you want once he lets us in. Herbie? I'm Doctor Elizabeth Ross, here to see Reed Richards."

"Ah, yes, Doctor Ross! We've been expecting you! Please, step inside the elevator, and I will take you right to the Fantastic Four's headquarters!"

"Thank you."

The elevator doors opened, and Bruce and Betty stepped inside, followed by ROB, who floated between their heads. Once the elevator ride was over, they were let out by Herbie into a lavish apartment that spanned an entire floor of the building. Bruce and Betty were both floored into silence by how expensive the place looked.

"Nice place," said Bruce.

"Why can't we have a headquarters like this?" asked Betty, clearly in dismay.

They then looked around, waiting for someone to show up and greet them. After about a minute of confusion, Betty spoke up.

"Anybody home?"

She then shook her head, startled when she heard a woman laughing. After a second, Susan materialized, standing right in front of them.

"Sorry, sorry!" said Susan. "I just haven't been able to do that to someone in a long time. And to answer your question, we can afford to live here because of Reed's technology company, the Future Foundation. The money that he makes from his patents that doesn't funnel to charity comes straight to us, and we can live quite well on it."

"You can turn invisible too?!" asked ROB, before quickly flicking his invisibility matrix on and off.

"Well, yeah," answered Susan. "Comes with being the Invisible Woman. Sort of right there, in the name. You have an AI too?"

"Yes, yes they do!" shouted ROB. "I'm ROB, and it's lovely to meet you, Miss Invisible Woman! I've already made the acquaintance of Herbie, and I absolutely must spend more time getting to know him!"

Susan laughed again.

"Jeez, it's like you two were long lost twins."

Susan then held out her hand. Betty shook it first, followed by Bruce.

"Hi, guys. Susan Storm. You must be Doctor Ross and Doctor Banner."

"That's us," said Betty.

"Reed's in his lab. Follow me."

Susan formed a force field disc under her feet, and she flew down the right hallway, leading Bruce and Betty towards the laboratory. Once inside, they saw Reed, who was using a welding device to fit in a set of panels on an operating apparatus. He was also stretching his form all throughout the room, while Herbie's robot body was floating around, watching him work.

Susan flew over to where Reed's head was.

"Reed! Your guests are here."

"Huh? Oh. Oh!"

Reed pushed his goggles onto his forehead as he saw Bruce and Betty walk into the room. He then reset his body to its natural state before placing the welding device on one of the tables that had items and tools scattered all across them. Turning to face the newcomers, he warmly smiled. Herbie also flew over, hovering next to Reed's shoulders.

"Doctor Ross," said Reed. "So wonderful to finally meet you in person."

"You too. Do you always just end up sprawled across your lab like that?"

"Force of habit. I've found that since obtaining my powers, I can just stretch to a different part of the room rather than actually move there. Laziness settling in, I suppose."

"Is that your body, Herbie?!"

Everyone looked at ROB, who was now bouncing with delight as Herbie floated over to him.

"Why, yes, it is, ROB! This is the body that Doctor Richards built for me after my last one was destroyed in the spaceship accident that gave the Fantastic Four their powers!"

"Wow! Fascinating!"

Reed chuckled.

"Making friends, Herbie?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Doctor Richards, may I show ROB around the lab to see all the wonderful projects we are working on?"

"Sure."

"Hooray!"

"Splendid!" said ROB.

As ROB and Herbie flew over to the other side of the lab together, Reed then turned his attention to Bruce.

"Ah, Bruce Banner. Incredible to see you here."

"So you're Betty's new contact."

"Indeed. I was very surprised when she first sought me out. But of course, I'm always willing to assist a fellow patron of science in need. I understand that you have a very peculiar problem that you need help with."

"You could say that."

"Well, I've already made preparations on a possible solution. Doctor Ross sent me all of the research data from the original experiment, as well as all of her work afterwards. I've been poring it over, and we've been comparing notes via email. I want to show you both what I've come up . . . ."

Reed was interrupted by Johnny bursting into the room, flying in his fire form.

"Hey, anybody seen the keys to my car? Dorrie wants to go see a movie and I can't find my keys anywhere . . . ."

Johnny halted his own sentence once he saw Betty, who turned around to look at him. Johnny quickly ran his fingers through his hair as he reverted to his normal form and landed on the ground next to her.

"Why, hello there," said Johnny, flashing a wide grin. "Johnny Storm. And who might you be?"

"Uh . . . ."

Susan snapped her fingers twice in front of Johnny's face, startling him.

"Johnny! Your keys are where you left them, on the kitchen counter next to the microwave. And isn't Doris, you know, your girlfriend, waiting on you?"

"Huh? Wha . . . . oh, yeah, yeah. Ha, ha. Right. Doris. Got it."

Betty snorted and shook her head. Johnny haughtily threw up his arms before folding them over his chest.

"Ah, whatever. You guys are probably talking about nerd stuff anyway."

"Well, Johnny," started Reed, "We were about to launch ourselves into a fascinating discussion about a device that will be able to syphon gamma radiation directly out of a human body on a cellular level . . . ."

"NERDS!"

* * *

Fury was standing on the central hub of the helicarrier's command centre, watching a video feed on one of his monitors. It showed Maria Hill, who was in full winter gear, walking away from the camera. She was barely recognizable due to how covered up she was, and the blizzard she appeared to be trudging through didn't help matters.

He could see a couple of other agents walking with her. Hill then turned around and faced the video screen.

"Took some digging, but we did it."

"Confirmed?" asked Fury.

"Damn sure of it," answered Hill. "We found him. Already got a report back from one of our field doctors . . . . he's alive."

"Alive?"

"Frozen shut, sir. Don't know how all this stuff works. Figure Science Team can tell us how it happened, but . . . . he's got life signs. What's our next move?"

"Get him out of there. Bring him here. If he's alive . . . . I don't know. Just bring him here."

"Understood. Hill out."

The video screen turned off as Fury exhaled, his hands behind his back. Just as he was pondering what to do next with what Hill had found, Victoria walked up to him, followed by Blake.

"Director."

Fury turned to look at Victoria.

"Just got off my conference call with the Council," she said. "They're . . . . not impressed that we haven't been able to resolve the situation. When I told them we lost Banner because of Doctor Ross . . . . well."

"Yeah."

"They said that they're buried in work dealing with all of the instability caused by the Cabal incident. They want this resolved now."

"I know what that means. What did they say?"

Victoria sighed. Blake spoke up in her place.

"They said that they're going to give Ryker full operational control if we don't find him soon. They'll declare emergency power, and he would have jurisdiction over us until Banner's captured. This is the endgame, sir."

Fury shook his head as he placed one of his hands on his forehead.

"Just gets better and better."

"I'm sorry, sir," said Victoria.

"So what do we do now?" asked Blake.

"We can't allow this to happen. Waynesboro!"

Kate rushed into the room within a few seconds of her name being called. She marched up to Fury and stood at attention.

"Yes, sir."

"I need you to pool all your resources. Find Banner. We don't pull this off soon, we won't be calling the shots anymore. Anything you need, anything, just ask, and Agent Hand will get it for you. Is that understood?"

Kate took a second before she nodded.

"Understood, sir."

* * *

Betty and Susan were both sitting on a sofa in the main living room. Johnny had since left, ROB and Herbie were chasing each other around the apartment, and Reed and Bruce were still going over the particulars of the calculations that were to be applied to the gamma syphon. Having already discussed them with Reed multiple times in the past, Betty had elected to take a rest from it all, and Susan had agreed to join her.

"Reed told me about you two," said Susan. "Told me the whole story that you'd given him. Hell of a thing."

"Yeah."

"Can't even imagine. I mean, the four of us, we lucked out when we got our powers. People thought we were heroes. We got this place, fame . . . . but you two. I mean, you two . . . . I just feel bad for you guys."

"I know. We try to make the best of the hand we got. That's why we're here. We just want this nightmare to end, so we can get back to having a life."

"Been together a long time, I take it?"

Betty nodded.

"This whole thing must have taken a toll."

Betty nodded again, now silently sorting through her own thoughts. Susan faced forward, but continued to talk.

"I'm not trying to say that I understand how you're feeling. I wish I could. Wish I could say exactly what you needed to hear. But . . . ."

"It's okay. You don't have to."

The two women went silent for another minute before Betty looked back at the door to the laboratory.

"So . . . . you and Richards?"

"Heh. Yeah. It, uh, took a while. You probably already noticed, but he sort of gets absorbed in his work. A lot."

"I noticed."

"Yeah. I mean, it's gone a bit slower than I would've hoped. Of course, he's great to me, but . . . . I'm not a science person. I don't really get it all the time. He tries to talk to me about what he's doing and, I mean, sure, it's interesting, I guess. That sort of conversation probably goes over better between you and Bruce."

"We did work together. For a long time."

"See, I don't have that. I'm not mad about it, it's just not for me. And, we've been trying to get closer, but it seems like there's always another thing to do. Another experiment to run. It's not his fault, really. Since we got our powers, so many people want to deal with the Future Foundation that he's just buried in work. He wants to make more time for us, but . . . . life gets in the way."

"See that there, that's something I do understand."

Betty and Susan shared a brief laugh.

"So where's Ben Grimm?" asked Betty.

"Ben? Oh, he's out at Alicia's house."

"Alicia?"

"His girlfriend."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been working out well for him, so far. She helps him a lot, although he probably wouldn't ever admit it. After the accident, and his change . . . . he went through a rough patch. He can't change back and forth like we can."

"Yeah."

"But then Alicia came along, and . . . . let's just say he needed this. I think people who look at themselves that way, as . . . . they need someone. Someone to tell them it's alright. That they're still human, you know?"

Betty smiled.

"All too well."

Betty and Susan turned their heads when they heard the lab door open. Reed and Bruce walked out, and the girls stood up to greet them.

"So, how did the meeting of the minds go?" asked Betty.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," said Bruce, his voice low and raspy. "But, we talked a-about it, and I, and I looked over all the notes . . . . I think it can work. Betty, B-Betty, I . . . . I think it can work."

Betty smiled as her eyes watered. She then reached forward and pulled Bruce close, kissing him on the cheek. Susan took Reed's hand.

"I think it's finally gonna be over," said Bruce.

Betty just massaged the back of Bruce's head. Kissing the side of his head, she then turned to look at Reed, and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him.

"I'll have Herbie prepare the spare room for you," said Reed. "I imagine you two require some rest after your whole ordeal getting here. We'll start the procedure first thing in the morning."

Bruce and Betty broke off their embrace. Bruce then turned to Reed, and held one of his hands with both of his.

"Thank you. T-Thank you."

* * *

Sterns chuckled to himself as he watched the display screen that showed Reed, Bruce, Betty and Susan standing inside of the Fantastic Four's apartment complex. His stealth craft was hovering just outside the windows, and despite being right in the centre of one of the most populated cities on the planet, no one could detect him due to the strength of his invisibility matrix.

Ann and Deathlok were both in their positions, watching the live video feed along with Sterns. Audio filtered in via the internal speakers.

""I'll have Herbie prepare the spare room for you," said Reed. "I imagine you two require some rest after your whole ordeal getting here. We'll start the procedure first thing in the morning."

"Thank you. T-Thank you."

"So, she went to the Fantastic Four," said Sterns. "How pragmatic of her. To petition one of the greatest scientific minds on the planet, perhaps Bruce Banner may finally get the cure he's always wanted. I can feel it. I sense the rush of emotions in his mind. In her mind. Unfortunately for them, we cannot allow this cure to come to pass."

Sterns then looked over his shoulder at Ann.

"Miss Darnell. You're up."

Ann giggled with her trademark hissing voice.

* * *

Slipping in through the air vent, Ann slowly floated into the empty laboratory. She had consciously formed herself into a gas that was nearly invisible to the naked eye, stealthily moving her way through the room and towards the gamma syphon apparatus. Looking it over, she saw that the device was hooked into a container full of blue, viscous fluid.

Softly laughing to herself, Ann changed her density so that she could infiltrate the container. Mixing herself into the fluid, she changed her state so that she became a toxic gas, which quickly polluted the liquid in the container. Once she was done, she slipped out of the container and retreated back through the ventilation shaft.


	8. Green and Orange

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 8: Green and Orange

"Hey! Herbie! Where's everyone at?"

Ben walked out of the elevator, followed by Alicia. He was wearing his black and white Future Foundation pants, and she was wearing a green t-shirt and blue jeans. Her shoulder-length, strawberry blonde hair and beautiful but lifeless grey eyes completed her look. Ben looked down both ends of the hallway, not seeing any movement anywhere.

"Herbie?!" asked Ben, scratching his head. "Since when does that nutty little scamp not answer me when I call him?"

Alicia followed after Ben as he walked down the hall towards the laboratory. Having started dating Ben two months ago, Alicia had since gotten used to accompanying him. While she was completely blind, having been so since the age of six, she was fully capable of making her way around the city due to her heightened spatial awareness and kinesthetic mind. She had no trouble following Ben around, feeling the shift in the air when he moved and the sounds of his footsteps when he walked.

Making his way into the lab, Ben grunted upon seeing that everyone was crowded inside. Reed, Susan, Betty, Johnny, ROB and Herbie were all standing around the main control console, with Reed sitting down in the chair as he typed in strings of commands. Bruce was on his back, laying in the operating apparatus that Reed was putting the finishing touches on the previous day.

"What is this, a convention?" asked Ben. "Nobody told me."

"Apparatus preparation complete," said Reed. "We are go for initiation."

Susan turned to look at Ben, beckoning for him and Alicia to come over. Ben then looked at Bruce.

"That's . . . ."

"Yeah," said Susan.

"Hulk's a scrawny little guy."

"You haven't seen him transform in person," said Betty. "Not so scrawny."

"You must be that Doctor Ross that egghead over 'ere was always yappin' about."

"Mmhmm."

"You ready, Bruce?" asked Reed.

Bruce took in a few deep breaths before answering the question.

"I've been waiting for this for six years, Reed. I'm more than ready."

Reed pushed one of the levers on the control panel forward.

"Gamma syphon procedure engaged."

Betty sucked in a breath as she watched Bruce with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Herbie bounced in the air next to Reed's left shoulder, and ROB did the same near his right. Alicia reached out and wordlessly took hold of Ben's hand. He smiled at her before looking over at Betty, sensing that the connection between her and Bruce was very similar to the one that was growing between him and Alicia.

Bruce closed his eyes as multiple operating arms on the apparatus bathed in invisible beams of energy, designed to pull the gamma radiation out of his cells. As this was happening, the blue fluid inside of the container on the apparatus slowly started to deplete, being used up by the machine to perform the procedure.

Breathing slightly faster than normal, Bruce tried to calm his mind as he imagined a future life without the Hulk. A normal life, one without running, hiding or fear. A life with Betty. The life he always wanted. This moment was the turning point that he had spent the last six years waiting for.

And then he felt his heart stop.

He frantically gasped for air as his eyes bulged open.

"Vital stats changing!" shouted Reed. "Procedure out of alignment parameters!"

"What's happening?!" yelled Betty.

"Oh great," said Johnny. "The nerd toy isn't working right."

Susan smacked Johnny on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"Knock it off!"

"What's happening?!" repeated Betty.

"The syphon is introducing a new compound into his body," said Reed. "This wasn't supposed to happen! Some sort of toxin . . . . it's interfering with the syphon. It wasn't there before!"

"Fix it!"

"I'm trying! But . . . ."

"Then pull him out!"

"It could kill him!"

"Doctor Banner!"

"This is most distressing, Doctor Richards!"

Bruce shouted into the air as his muscles began rippling with radioactive energy. Betty's jaw dropped as he started to transform, his skin changing hue to a colour she hoped she would never see again.

"No. NO!"

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Everyone's eyes widened with terror as the Hulk tore his way out of the apparatus. Slamming both of his feet against the ground, he then turned to look at the group, growling as he did so. Betty's heart beat out of her chest as she saw that a faint glow of blue was creeping its way from under the skin surrounding his eyes.

Everyone was too stunned to speak. Hulk then roared again, with the power of his voice shaking the entire apartment. Holding his fists into the air, he then brought them down on the floor with a thundering crash, creating a shockwave that knocked even Ben off balance. The feedback from the destruction of the apparatus electrocuted Reed, leaving him sprawled on the ground, his limbs tangled amongst themselves.

ROB and Herbie both fled the room. Alicia's back crashed against the back wall, and she slumped down to the floor.

"Ben?! What's happening?! Ben!"

"Alicia!"

Betty vaulted over the control console and held up her hands in front of Hulk.

"Hulk! Hulk! It's me!"

Hulk looked down at Betty, before gritting his teeth at her.

"Hulk! It's me, Betty! Remember?!"

His only response was another roar. Betty took a step back in horror as she realized that he did not recognize her. As Hulk took a step towards her, Susan leaped in front of Betty and created a force field barrier between her and Hulk.

"Stay back!"

Hulk furiously pounded both of his fists against the barrier, causing Susan to fall to one knee in pain. Johnny jumped into the air once he saw that his sister was in trouble.

"FLAME ON!"

Emitting two streams of fire from his wrists, Johnny seared Hulk's skin. The green goliath took a couple of steps back as he held his hand up to protect his face. Susan used this time to scoop up Betty off the ground and fly her over to the laboratory exit. Ben picked up Alicia and handed her off to Susan.

"Susie! You get the girls outta here! I'll handle this joker!"

"Be careful!"

"Ain't I always?"

Susan shook her head as she extended the length of her force field disk to accommodate both Betty and Alicia, before flying them down the hall and away from the lab. Ben turned around to see the Hulk clapping his hands together, causing Johnny to be blasted backwards by the force. Johnny's flame was put out as his back smashed against the wall, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Reed tried to push himself off the ground, but he was still in too much pain to move.

Ben growled as he punched his fists together. Hulk looked at him and roared.

"Alright! You wanna play? Fine by me! But you're in the big leagues now, buttercup! I hope your health insurance is all paid up, because it's CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Ben charged forward, before pouncing towards Hulk with both of his fists outstretched. Ben smashed into the Hulk's chest, tackling him with enough force to break a hole through the wall of the building, and the two monstrous beings started falling hundreds of stories to the streets below.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Kate inhaled before she answered the question.

"Scanning as many frequencies as I can, using all the data I have available."

Kate continued to speedily type on her computer, having several different tabs and programs open as she coordinated data feeds from dozens of sources. Having designed all of the data analysis programs herself, she was quite adept at using the system to uncover information whenever she was required to.

This time, however, she was trying her hardest to appear to be effective while she was actually buying time. She was last contacted by Betty the night previously, where she outlined the entire story about arriving at the Fantastic Four's headquarters and how Reed Richards had prepared the gamma syphon experiment for this morning.

Knowing that said experiment was probably running at this very moment, Kate figured she wouldn't have to keep up the facade for long. Her computer station was in the same lab used by Science Team, who were both performing their own duties. Ryker was standing near Kate, watching over her shoulder as she worked.

Finally getting flustered, Kate turned her head to look at Ryker.

"Do you mind?"

"I'm just making sure you're doing your job, Miss Waynesboro. I have far too much invested in this."

Kate narrowed her eyes.

"I've put in too much time, and . . . . there's much at stake."

Kate heard a sense of sadness in Ryker's voice that she was not expecting.

"What, what do you mean?"

"Inside the body of the Hulk lies the potential for a cure."

"For what?"

Simmons piped up from across the room, having taken notice of Kate and Ryker's conversation.

"Didn't you know?"

"Know what?" asked Kate.

Fitz and Simmons both looked at her with curiosity before they put their arms on the main desk of the lab table.

"That the Hulk's unique body physiology contains a working symbiosis between human DNA and radiation," said Simmons. "Under normal circumstances, radiation is harmful to our cells, especially gamma rays . . . . but Bruce Banner has been able to have them in his system for half a decade and not have any ill side effects!"

"Well, um, except for the whole, you know, Hulk thing," said Fitz.

"My point being, that Bruce Banner's body may contain the key to finding a way to have radiation peacefully co-exist with human body chemistry. I wrote a paper all about it, and my theories were corroborated by several other notable scientists. If we can replicate the unique attributes of his physiology via genetic modification, we can use radiation to kill harmful cells while doing nothing to the healthy ones."

"Well, what does that mean?" asked Kate.

Simmons chortled.

"What does that mean? Kate . . . . that's a cure for cancer."

Kate went silent as she allowed the information to digest.

"Think of the things we could learn once we have him on my operating table," continued Simmons. "Once we drain all of his blood, and dissect his tissue, he may well be the greatest revelation of twenty-first century medicine. I'm talking instant Nobel Prize! I'd be the youngest winner of the Physiology and Medicine prize by a huge margin!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Kate burst out of her chair, staring right at Simmons with anger in her eyes. Ryker looked back and forth between the two women, but did not speak.

"Kate! What ever is the matter?" asked Simmons.

"Did you even hear what you just said?"

"What she said?" asked Fitz. "Which part? The one about the cure for cancer or the Nobel Prize?"

"The one about cutting him into little pieces on your operating table!"

Simmons let out a weak laugh.

"Well, I mean, it would be most likely necessary. I have to harvest his entire body. Brain tissue, vital organs, bone marrow. I don't want to miss anything!"

Kate took a couple steps towards Simmons, with righteous rage flowing through her muscles. Simmons' face indicated that she was both surprised and terrified by this change of demeanour.

"Do you even hear yourself talking?! You're talking about murder! Just killing another human being . . . . a fellow scientist! So that you can win a prize! And you say it with the same bubbly voice you use for everything!"

"W-Well, when you, uh, w-when you use such harsh terms . . . ."

"You think this is justified?"

"Y-Yes!" said Simmons, her voice shaky. "I-I'm t-talking about, about a single sacrifice! T-To save, save countless lives!"

"And what if you don't get what you're looking for?"

Simmons blinked.

"Would you really stop at one?" asked Kate.

Simmons took in a breath, but did not answer.

"Spin it however you want . . . . you're not talking about science anymore. You're just talking about killing."

"To save lives!" repeated Simmons.

"At what cost?" asked Kate. "Are you gonna be the one who cuts his throat open? With your scalpel? Or is that why you don't actually mind that Ryker called in Captain Talbot? So she can do the dirty work for you?"

Simmons looked down at the scalpel she was holding in her left hand.

"Uh . . . . uhm . . . ."

Simmons looked over at Fitz, who scratched his head and shrugged.

"I don't got anything, Jemma."

Simmons then looked back at Kate, her face blank.

"That's what I thought," said Kate.

Ryker turned his face to look at the computer screen.

"Miss Waynesboro?"

Kate turned around to see a news video on her screen, showing an aerial helicopter view of the Hulk fighting Ben Grimm on the streets of New York. Kate rushed over to the computer, pressing the button that activated the sound.

"This is Betty Brant with the Daily Bugle, live in the air, as a battle of the behemoths is happening right below me on the streets of Midtown! The incredible creature known as the Hulk is here in Manhattan, battling it out with the Thing of the Fantastic Four!"

Ryker smirked as he looked over at Kate.

"Good job," he said.

* * *

The heart of Manhattan was in utter chaos. Thousands of pedestrians and hundreds of cars were fleeing in all directions, attempting to escape from the brawl occurring between the two human behemoths. Each one was just as large as the other, and both of them refused to back down. Police forces were more concerned with evacuating civilians than stopping them; many officers across the world had long since learned that they were no match for metahumans.

Hulk heaved one of the police cars at Ben, who caught it with both hands. Before he could throw it away, Hulk charged at him, and Ben was forced to use the car as a shield to absorb his enemy's punch. The car bursting apart, Ben then landed a right hook on Hulk's face, before following up with a blow to Hulk's body with his left fist.

Hulk bellowed in protest, before holding both of his fists high into the air. Ben grinned as he sidestepped the clumsy overhead attack, before using the opportunity to land a dropkick on Hulk's cheek. The savage blow sent Hulk smashing into the side of a building. Ben did not let up, charging towards Hulk and landing another solid punch that blew Hulk through the corner of the building and onto the adjacent street.

As Hulk got back to his feet, he roared at his opponent.

"YOU STRONGER THAN ALL OF HULK'S ENEMIES! HOW?!"

"Maybe that's cause you ain't never fought Mama Grimm's blue-eyed baby bruiser!"

Ben tried to land another punch, but this time Hulk caught his fist.

"Uh oh . . . ."

Hulk shouted as he lifted Ben into the air, spinning his entire body around before letting go. Ben was thrown high enough for his face to smash through the fourth story window of a nearby building. Breaking through the bricks, Ben landed on the street below, tearing up over twenty metres of pavement.

Bounding over to where his enemy was, Hulk tried to land feet first on him. Ben rolled out of the way in time, before landing a haymaker blow on Hulk's side. Hulk was sent careening backwards, crushing a hot dog stand as the attendant bolted away.

"That, that was my favourite hot dog stand! Alright, the kid gloves are off! Now it's personal!"

Ben tried to land another blow, but Hulk blocked it with his forearm. Ben was too slow to counter Hulk's follow up punch, and was staggered enough so that Hulk could land a brutal combo attack of punches, culminating in Ben being smashed against the ground. Hulk again tried to use his overhead punch, but Ben quickly kicked out with both feet, knocking Hulk away and giving him some room to manoeuvre.

"ORANGE ROCK MAN HURT HULK! HULK SMASH ORANGE ROCK MAN!"

"Ya say that to all your playmates?!"

Ben tried to wrestle Hulk to the floor, but his take-down attempt was thwarted by Hulk dropping his elbow onto Ben's back. Grunting in pain, Ben swiped at Hulk's knees with a palm strike, but the blow wasn't powerful enough to stop Hulk from seizing Ben by the shoulders and performing a suplex slam on him.

"UGH!"

Ben rolled away from Hulk, instinctively grabbing a nearby lamppost as support. Suddenly getting an idea, he used both hands to rip the post out of the ground before wielding it like a baseball bat.

"Always did love me some good ol' American baseball!"

Hulk roared as he pounced towards Ben.

"Batter up, jolly green!"

Ben swung the post with perfect form, crushing Hulk's jaw and sending him flying through the air. He wailed as he then slammed against the ground, creating a crater of rubble around where he landed. He breathed heavily, and his dazed eyes gave away that he was becoming fatigued both due to the battle and the toxin.

As he pushed himself off the ground, he saw Susan floating down to ground level on a force field disc, with Betty standing next to her.

"You sure about this?" asked Susan.

"I have to try!"

Betty jumped off the disc, holding out her hand. Hulk grunted, slowly taking a step forward. Betty smiled at him, seeing that the faint blue around his eyes was starting to fade.

"Hulk, it's Betty. Betty. Your friend, remember?"

"Bet . . . . Betty."

"Yes. It's me. It's gonna be okay. You're gonna calm down now, and you're gonna come with me. Okay?"

Hulk reached out, intending to take Betty's hand. Ben walked up to Hulk from behind, but stopped several metres short once he saw what was happening. He watched as Betty placed her hand on Hulk's outstretched palm, gently massaging it. His eyes quivered as he looked down at his own palms, knowing that Alicia had done something similar for him not that long ago.

"Come here, baby," said Betty.

Hulk nodded and stepped forward again as he started to shrink. Sniffling and panting, it only took a few seconds for Bruce's transformation to complete. As he slumped to the ground, Betty caught him, before looking into his eyes.

Once again, his gaze was completely empty.


	9. Carla

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 9: Carla

"But they're not our enemies!"

Fury was standing to the side of the central control hub. For the first time ever, someone else was standing on his podium: Ryker, who was holding his hands behind his back and glaring through the frontal window of the helicarrier as it raced towards New York. There were several holographic display screens over top the window, showing different angles of news footage that covered the battle between Hulk and Ben.

Fury exhaled, frustrated that Ryker seemed to be ignoring him. Since receiving word of the battle in New York, the World Security Council had decided to declare emergency measures, granting temporary control of all of SHIELD's personnel and resources to the military. Victoria, Kate and Blake were standing next to Fury.

"General . . . ."

"I'm in command of this ship now, Fury. You'd be wise to keep that in mind."

"The Fantastic Four are not our enemies!"

"Are they harbouring a fugitive who just tore up Midtown Manhattan?"

"That's not . . . ."

"Are they harbouring a fugitive who just tore up Midtown Manhattan?!"

Fury paused before answering.  
"Yes."

Furrowing her brow, Kate suddenly spoke up.

"You don't have to do it this way! You can talk to them! The Fantastic Four are heroes! They're SHIELD's allies! They can help us! You don't have to send in . . . ."

"That will be quite enough from you, Miss Waynesboro," said Ryker.

Ryker then turned back to the display screens. A couple seconds later, his cell phone started vibrating in one of his breast pockets. Pulling it out, he tapped a button on it and held it to his ear.

"Yes?"

Ryker was silent for a few seconds as he listened to who was on the other side.

"I see . . . . understood. Good work."

Ryker closed the phone and put it back in his breast pocket. He then turned around as two armed forces soldiers approached the central command hub.

"Guards! Arrest Miss Waynesboro."

"Wait, what?!"

Everyone turned to look at Kate as the two soldiers grabbed her from behind. One of them slapped handcuffs on her wrists.

"What are you doing?!" asked Victoria.

"My job," answered Ryker. "Something that you all seem to be incapable of, as of recent."

Kate struggled against her captors, despite knowing that it was fruitless.

"You had everyone here fooled, Miss Waynesboro, but not me. I knew something was wrong as soon I realized how sympathetic you were to Banner's cause. While we were out here, I had one of my specialists take a look at your computer station, and they confirmed what I already suspected. You've been feeding information to Elizabeth Ross, assisting her and Bruce Banner in evading capture!"

Kate stopped squirming and looked down at the floor, defeated. Fury and Victoria both looked at her with shock in their eyes.

"Take her away."

"You can't do this," she said, as the soldiers started pulling her out of the room. "THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR!"

Ryker turned back to the display screens.

"We're going in. This charade ends today. Gamma Corps, are you ready?"

One of the display screens changed to show Carla's face. She was standing inside of a SHIELD Quinjet, along with the other four members of her team.

"Say the word, General."

"You're taking the Baxter Building. Find the Fantastic Four and bring them down. Then find Banner, and bring him to me. Any means you deem necessary, I authorize."

Carla grinned widely upon hearing that last sentence.

* * *

"Bruce? Bruce?! Bruce!"

Bruce blinked repeatedly as he felt Betty slapping him on his cheek. Groaning and grabbing at his chest, Bruce then burst off of the couch and looked around with crazed eyes. Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben, ROB, Herbie and Alicia were all present in the room. Taking a moment to breathe, he then massaged a pain in his neck.

Looking down, he saw that Betty was holding a medical injector in her hand, having just given Bruce another shot of her antidote.

"W-What, what happened?"

"It didn't work," said Betty. "Bruce, I'm . . . ."

Bruce and Betty sighed in unison. They didn't have to say anything further. Both were well aware of how the other was feeling. Reed then stepped forward.

"Bruce, I'm sorry. There was some sort of toxin in the containment unit . . . . something I haven't seen before. I want to take the time to analyze . . . ."

"We don't have that kind of time," said Betty. "The whole world knows we're here. We have to move! We won't be safe here much longer!"

Johnny then pointed towards a nearby window.

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble, but . . . . I think you're outta time."

Everyone turned to look out the window. On the other side were three United States Armed Forces helicopters and two SHIELD Quinjets heading straight for them. The helicopter closest to the building then fired a set of twin rockets.

"GET BACK!" shouted Ben.

Ben used himself as a shield, standing in front of Alicia and Johnny. Susan quickly formed a force field bubble around the rest of the people, but the resulting shockwave of the explosion still knocked some of them off balance. Both ROB and Herbie were blown backwards.

"My word!"

"Most disagreeable!"

Susan expanded her force field bubble as the helicopters unloaded with their chainguns. Hundreds of ripples formed on the force field as the bullets bounced off. Susan clenched her teeth as she put all of her mental energy into maintaining the field.

"Ben! Get Alicia out of here!"

"I'm on it!"

Ben scooped up Alicia as he rushed out of the room. Betty pulled Bruce to his feet and they took off after him. Reed shook his head in confusion as he looked at the Quinjets.

"SHIELD?! Why are they attacking?!"

"They betrayed us?! Oh, hell no! FLAME ON!"

Johnny fired a beam of fire from his left hand, which quickly formed into a wide wave. The intensity of the heat blinded the pilots of the helicopters, causing them to stop attacking. As this happened, the two Quinjets moved upwards, heading for the roof. The lead helicopter then turned around and opened the cargo hatch.

Reed, Susan and Johnny all widened their eyes as they saw Carla standing at the edge of the hatch, smirking. The four other members of the Gamma Corps were all standing at her sides, and she was aiming a large rocket launcher right towards the heroes. As Carla pulled the trigger, Susan threw up her hands as fast as she could.

"INCOMING!"

Carla's rocket struck Susan square in the chest, and her force shield was barely large enough to block the explosion. Still, the force of the attack sent Susan flying backwards, sending her crashing against the back wall.

"SUSAN!"

"SUE!"

Reed stretched out his right arm and caught Susan before she hit the ground. She moaned in agony as he gently deposited her on the floor. Johnny flared up with rage as he flew out of the hole in the wall. However, he was immediately blasted away by a pulse rifle shot from one of the Gamma Corps commandos.

Using his other hand, Reed reached out and also caught Johnny, who was so winded by the pulse rifle shot that his flame went out. Reed then tried to use his body to block off the hole in the wall, but Carla charged her wrist gauntlets and fired a double pulse blast, flattening him and leaving him scrunched up on the ground.

Carla snickered as the helicopter backed up against the hole in the wall. Reed reformed himself and picked up both Susan and Johnny before retreating down another hallway. As the Gamma Corps stepped into the apartment, Carla held two fingers to her left ear.

"Quinjets have taken the roof. Air-Bird Three, you secure the ground level. Leave no escape route."

Carla grabbed the pulse rifle off her back and pulled the lever on it.

"Come on, girls. Let's play hide and seek."

* * *

Betty held Bruce's head down as they ran down the hallway. One of the helicopters was following after them, firing bullets through the windows. The two fugitives were barely outrunning a hail of bullets and pieces of shattered glass before they launched themselves through the open door that led to a stairway.

Landing with a painful thud on the concrete floor, the two winced as they tried not to be slowed down. Betty got up first, pulling out a pistol. Realizing that the helicopter was no longer firing, Betty helped Bruce to his feet and the two started descending the stairs, both of them already out of breath.

"Come on, come on."

"Betty, we won't . . . ."

"I'm getting you out of here. You hear me? Now keep moving!"

* * *

"Back off!"

Ben used the back of his fist to bash away one of the Gamma Corps commandos, knocking her backwards and leaving her sprawled on the floor. He had already learned not to underestimate them, and was so enraged by how they had put Alicia in danger that he had little regard for their safety. As he was about to attack the other one, an electric lash secured itself around his right wrist, electrocuting him.

"AGHHHHHH!"

Summoning as much strength as he could, Ben heaved his arm forward, pulling the commando with it. The woman performed a backflip and then fired another lash, this one latching onto his chest. Her partner fired a lash of her own that wrapped around his right wrist. He shouted in pain as he was overloaded with electric energy, before finally falling to his knees.

* * *

The other two Gamma Corps members rushed down one of the hallways, their pulse rifles at the ready. Reaching a corner, they were suddenly surprised by an extended arm that reached for their weapons. Reed ripped both rifles out of their hands, and before they could react, Johnny crashed through an overhead window.

"Hope you girls like it hot!"

He tossed several fireballs towards them, with one of them hitting a commando in the side. Her armour absorbing the blast, she pulled out her magnum and fired several shots at Johnny, who was barely able to dodge them with aerial manuevers. Reed stretched out his left arm, landing a solid punch on her face, knocking her to the floor.

However, he wasn't quick enough to counter the second commando, who pulled out an augmented energy baton and struck him with it.

"UGHHHHH!"

Johnny rushed down to try and grab at the commando, but she used her other hand to pull out her pulse rifle. She blasted Johnny away as she struck Reed a second time with the energy baton.

* * *

As Betty and Bruce stormed into another hallway, they were stunned to see Carla already standing inside of it. Betty quickly aimed her pistol and unloaded a full clip of shots at Carla, but the fearsome commando was already prepared. Holding up her left forearm, her white, hexagonal-patterned energy shield materialized over her combat suit, and all of Betty's bullets harmlessly bounced off of it.

Undeterred, Betty sprinted down the hall, heading straight for Carla. She tossed her empty pistol at her, but Carla bashed the weapon away with the back of her hand. Betty tried to engage Carla in close-quarters combat, but found herself easily outmatched by the commando's superior skill and training.

Before long, Carla had worn Betty out, finally landing a palm strike to her sternum that left her incapacitated on the floor. Turning her head to look at Bruce with an insidious grin, Carla then slowly marched towards him. He was still so exhausted that he could barely move without Betty's aid. Opening her eyes, Betty looked at Bruce with abject fear.

"Run, Bruce! RUN!"

He didn't want to do what she was asking. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and help her in that moment, but her tear-filled eyes were pleading with him to flee. He turned to try and escape as Carla continued her approach. Closing his eyes, Bruce summoned his focus to try and do something he hoped he would never have to do.

But in that moment, he could not. The antidote was at full strength, and he could not will himself into a transformation. He tried with all of his mental fortitude, but to no avail. Unabashedly licking her lips, Carla held out her magnum, before firing a round that pierced straight through Bruce's lower right leg.

"AYUGH!"

"BRUCE!"

Bruce fell to the ground face first. Carla continued walking towards him, with a noticeable spring in her step. Bleeding from both the entrance and exit wound of Carla's bullet, Bruce vainly tried to crawl away, despite knowing that there was nothing he could do. Betty tried with all her strength to get back up, but was so winded and crippled with pain that she could barely move.

Carla took in a deep breath as she aimed her magnum at Bruce.

"Game's up, Doctor Banner."

As she squeezed the trigger, a force field bubble formed around the gun. Unable to leave the barrel, the bullet exploded, causing the entire gun to shatter in Carla's hands. She shrieked with surprise as Susan materialized next to her, before forming a barrier that she used to blitz forward, ramming herself into the villainous commando.

Furiously growling, Carla unsheathed her energy blade, wildly slashing at Susan, who formed small force fields to absorb the physical strikes. Carla then lunged forward, but Susan slid out of the way of the attack on a force field disc. She turned invisible as Carla pulled out her backup pistol, with the commando firing off four random shots into the empty hallway air.

Taking a step back, Carla looked around, not noticing that Banner was crawling away from her. She briefly chuckled as she held both her pistol and her blade at the ready.

"I should have known," she said. "The only member of the Fantastic Four who's a worthy challenge is the woman."

Carla was then knocked off balance by the wall of the hallway caving in. Her eyes widened as she looked to the side, stunned to see Ben standing there.

"That a fact, huh?!"

Carla screamed as Ben reached out with his left hand and snatched her up by her head. She swung her limbs back and forth, but was unable to break Ben's iron grip.

"Let . . . . g-go of me . . . . you, f-filthy frea . . . ."

Ben hurled Carla behind him, and she was launched through the hole in the wall and to the upper level, her face smacking against the wall of the laboratory above. Ben jumped back up, and Susan used force field discs to pick up both Bruce and Betty. Pulling them to the upper level, she then formed a shield around them as they watched the Gamma Corps and the Fantastic Four prepare for another round of fighting.

As they were about to launch into battle, Ryker stepped into the room, flanked by several soldiers. Seeing this, Bruce stood up.

"STOP!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Bruce. ROB and Herbie both floated next to him as Susan let the force field bubble dissipate. Bruce then stepped forward as Ryker sneered.

"I surrender. Just . . . . everyone stop."

Betty sprung to her feet, grabbing at his arm.

"Bruce, no!"

"Betty, please. Don't stop me."

"I won't . . . ."

"I won't let anyone else be hurt because of me. Not anymore."

Carla fumed as she glared at Bruce. Ryker maintained a calmer disposition. The Fantastic Four all looked at Bruce with concern, but did not speak. Bruce turned to face them.

"I just wanna say . . . . thank you. For everything, for all you did. But it's over now. Please don't try to stop me. Just . . . . just let it go."

Bruce then looked at Ryker. Carla clenched her energy blade tighter, but she otherwise didn't move. Bruce paused and stood still for a minute as he gathered his thoughts. As he was about to step forward, Betty took his hand. He looked at her, but she refused to let go. He then nodded and the two of them stepped forward together, with ROB following after them.


	10. The Surprise Party

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 10: The Surprise Party

Bruce and Betty were sitting next to each other inside of the cargo compartment of a military helicopter. They were sitting on a side bench, and both of them were wearing handcuffs. Staring at the metal floor, neither one spoke, but they were still holding hands. Kate was next to Betty, she too with handcuffs. ROB was silently sitting inside of Betty's satchel, seemingly drained of enthusiasm for the first time.

Kate lowered her head, turning her gaze to the two people next to her.

"I'm sorry, guys. I . . . ."

"It's okay, Kate," said Betty. "You did the best you could."

"I just wish it turned out better, is all."

"You and me both."

Fitz and Simmons were sitting across from the three prisoners. They were free to do as they pleased, but the two young scientists didn't move from their spots on the opposite bench. Rather, they just regarded the people before them, thinking about how they all got there. Simmons gulped and looked over at them with saddened eyes.

Her gaze was drawn to Betty, who was gently massaging Bruce's palms with her own. Despite all of the hardship and suffering that she had experienced, her first inclination was to try and comfort the person she loved. Simmons bit the inside of her lower lip as regret washed over her conscience. She then looked down at the bandage on Bruce's leg that she had personally wrapped over his bullet wounds.

Fitz was staring at the floor, with his hands in his pockets. He was rhythmically tapping the tips of his shoes together, something he did regularly when he was anxious or confused. Simmons noticed this, watching his movements and knowing what they indicated. Sidling up next to him, she brushed her arm against his.

"Huh?"

Fitz turned to look at Simmons, yanked out of of his neurotic head-space by her touch. She then smiled at him before wiping her hand across his jeans as she reached for his hand, cradling his fingers with her own. The sanguine gesture caught Fitz off guard, but he did not shy away from Simmons' touch.

His lips slightly parted, he just stared in silence at the unexpected display. He immediately ceased tapping his feet together, with most of his muscles frozen in place. Simmons could tell that he did not know what to do, for while he had long since craved her affection, he had never thought that he would actually receive it, let alone that she would make such an advance.

"It's alright," said Simmons, drawing herself even closer. "I've always known."

The colour was flushed from Fitz's cheeks.

"Y-You . . . . you d-did?"

"Always."

"B-But . . . ."

Before Fitz could stutter further, he was silenced by Simmons quickly bringing her face to his and pecking him, her mouth half on his lips and half on his cheek. She then rested her chin against his shoulder.

"J-Jemma . . . ."

"Let's just say that I've finally realized something," she said. "Something important."

"B-But what about Science Team?"

Simmons blinked before looking back at Bruce and Betty, watching as they just leaned into each other in silence.

"Who says that Science Team can't also have some happiness?"

"I guess . . . . I guess no one," said Fitz.

"Exactly, Fitz," said Simmons, squeezing his hand tighter. "Exactly."

* * *

Three United States Armed Forces helicopters landed just outside of Ryker's private military installation. The installation itself was built into the side of a mountain in the middle of the Nevada desert. The SHIELD helicarrier was hovering nearby. As the helicopters landed and powered down, Bruce took in a deep breath.

Ryker was the first man out of the helicopters, and a long parade of individuals followed after him. Immediately behind him were Carla and the Gamma Corps, victoriously marching in formation with their superior officer. The next group consisted of Fury, Victoria and Blake. Six soldiers were walking with the three main prisoners, Bruce, Betty and Kate, with Bruce wearing the satchel that had ROB inside of it. The prisoners had since been relieved of their handcuffs, with everyone knowing that there was nothing they could do to escape. Fitz and Simmons were bringing up the rear.

The main entrance consisted of a gigantic door that took up most of the visible wall. It slid horizontally, opening up into a huge concrete lobby that served as the point of access to all of the other areas of the installation. The door took a full minute to open, and the group all stepped inside as it started taking just as long to close.

As they reached the security checkpoint, Ryker looked around in confusion at the lack of personnel on station. The entire place was deserted, with no movement or noise coming from any direction. Ryker tapped his ear before speaking.

"This is General Ryker, calling on all installation frequencies. Why is no one at the main security checkpoint?"

He waited a few seconds, grimacing upon not hearing a response.

"I repeat, this is General Ryker. All teams, sound off, over."

No response.

"Sound off, over!"

Carla snarled as she took a few steps towards one of the hallways. ROB floated out of the satchel and bobbed back and forth. Some of the soldiers and others started murmuring amongst themselves. Bruce and Betty stayed quiet, but they both started breathing a little quicker. Kate gulped, looking behind the group as the door finished closing.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Fury took a step towards Ryker.

"General . . . . where are your men?"

Ryker blinked as he considered Fury's question. Victoria turned to Kate, before taking a step back so that she was beside her. Kate looked up at Victoria with a raised eyebrow. Turning her head away, Victoria slipped a pistol out of her belt and handed it to Kate, who blinked twice upon seeing what she was being given.

Victoria looked at her from the corner of her eye. She then mouthed a sentence, not actually making any noise.

"Just in case."

Kate silently nodded as Victoria stepped away. Kate tucked the pistol into her belt, hidden under her shirt. Fitz tightened his grip on Simmons' hand as he started to hyperventilate.

"Jemma . . . ."

"Just breathe, Fitz. In and out, slowly. Try, try, try to keep pace with me."

"What's goin' on, Jemma? S-Something's wrong. I can feel it."

Simmons gulped.

"So can I."

Ryker had still remained silent, having not spoken to Fury.

"General," said Fury, adamantly. "Where are your men?"

Without warning, a different voice started speaking over the loudspeaker system.

"Allow me to answer that question for you, Director Fury."

It was a voice that only a few of them recognized, but Bruce instantly knew that their day had just gotten a whole lot worse.

"Sterns," he whispered.

Carla, the Gamma Corps and the soldiers held their weapons ready, all looking around and forming a perimeter around the civilians.

"This installation has stood as a top secret military research facility for over forty years," said Sterns. "Eight years ago, it fell under the authority of General John Ryker. Every soldier stationed here was under his direct command. And now, they're all dead."

Ryker's eyes flared up.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? Why, I am the man who has now taken control of this facility, just as soon I shall take control of the vast majority of this world . . . . you may not know who I am now, but soon, very soon indeed, this entire planet will be well aware of who I am. There will not be a single man, woman or child who will not know my name, or know my face. But as to your question, General . . . ."

A large television screen that was hanging above the main lobby turned on, showing Sterns, who was sitting inside of the control room for the facility. He was a green-skinned man with an elongated forehead, wickedly grinning as he folded his hands.

"My name was once Samuel Sterns, but now . . . . I am the Leader."

Everyone looked up at Sterns in shock. Bruce took a step forward as Betty tilted her head to the side. ROB flew up to the television screen.

"Doctor Sterns?" asked ROB.

"Hello, ROB," said Sterns. "You worthless little traitor."

ROB turned away before floating back down behind Betty's shoulder. Ryker then gritted his teeth and pointed at the screen.

"What the hell have you done?!"

"I have taken the crucial first step towards a new world order, General. This facility will be my ark, my Tower of Babel, my stepping stone to a glorious future that will reshape this planet and everyone on it. Just as I too have been reshaped . . . . and burdened with sharing my gift with all of my lesser brethren, the wretched little tadpoles that are the rest of humanity."

Carla narrowed her eyes as she gripped tighter on her pulse rifle.

"But I believe your question to be misguided, General. For the question of who I am is ultimately nowhere near as fascinating as the identity of one of the people you have brought here, delivered so graciously to me, almost as if you had destiny herself clawing at your heels. You should really be quite proud of yourself, for you have brought me the most important person amongst a sea of seven billion worms, the key to the dawn of a new genesis . . . . Bruce Banner."

Bruce walked forward, leaving Betty behind. He took a place next to Ryker as he stared at the screen.

"Sterns," said Bruce. "You're alive."

"You know this guy?" asked Ryker.

"We used to work together . . . . but he tried to kill me. More than once. And I thought he was dead."

"In a certain manner of speaking, you are correct," said Sterns. "Samuel Sterns did die the last time you saw him. He was murdered, but it was not senseless violence, no, rather, it was a necessary sacrifice so that the Leader may live. I was a hollow chrysalis prior to my rebirth . . . . a man who had no idea of the true greatness that would await him in the future."

"The gamma syphon," said Bruce. "When it exploded, you . . . . you and your assistant, you were . . . . you were killed."

Everyone looked around as a loud, female laugh sounded through the loudspeaker. The laughter's voice carried a distinctive hissing sound.

"Vaporized, actually," said the woman. "In my case, anyway."

Ann slithered out of an air vent in the ceiling, her green gaseous form causing several of the people in the group to gasp. She then reformed herself, changing from a cloud into a feminine torso with arms, hair and a face that resembled her human one. Bruce's eyes widened upon recognizing her.

"I had the same reaction, hehehehehe," said Ann. "When I first saw what I'd turned into, what you turned me into, Doctor Banner. But I've since embraced my new self. My true self, something you could learn to do."

Ann broke out into laughter again as she started floating around the room, snaking her way through the crowd.

"You're a goddamn maniac," said Ryker.

Ann's laughter grew louder as she reformed herself right in front of Ryker's face.

"I'd mind your manners, General, hahahahahahaha. The freaks are running the asylum now."

Ryker remained defiant.

"Least you know what you are."

Ann cackled, with a devious grin on her face.

"Yes, I suppose I do. Then again, I like the new me. I like her a lot."

Fury instinctively started to reach for his pistol, but knew that bullets would do nothing to harm the vaporized villain. He sneered as he waited to see how the scenario was going to play out.

"You won't get away with this," said Ryker.

"Ohhhh, we already have, General. Hehehehehehe. Much obliged to you."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"We had some help from the inside," answered Ann. "Our good friend, Doctor Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man."

Chen walked into view from one of the side hallways. Deathlok then turned off his invisibility matrix, revealing himself to have been standing next to Ann the entire time. Carla and the Gamma Corps aimed their weapons at the two new arrivals.

"Ah ah ah, girls," said Ann. "I wouldn't do that. The surprise party is only just getting started, and you wouldn't want to get taken off the guest list, would you?"

Chen snickered. Ryker held out his hand, signalling for the Gamma Corps to hold their fire.

"General, this is bullshit," said Carla. "They said themselves they killed everyone here! This is what you made us for!"

Ryker shook his head.

"He wouldn't have told us that without having something else he could hold over our heads."

"Excellent deduction, General," said Sterns. "You're a credit to your uniform. And as for you, Captain Talbot, I would advise that you keep that infamous temper of yours in check, for your sake. You may have been trained specifically to take down gamma threats . . . . but Miss Darnell cannot be harmed by any of your weapons. She has no corporeal matter, being formed completely of radioactive hydrogen."

Ann cackled again as she floated up towards Carla's face.

"And once she enters your respiratory system, you have less than a minute to live before she chokes you from inside your lungs. Over two dozen soldiers who were stationed at this facility can provide testimony to her efficiency."

Carla fumed as she stared down Ann, but slowly lowered her weapon regardless.

"Now," said Sterns, "let me show you exactly what I have to hold over your head, General . . . ."

The screen then switched to a security camera view of Lucy's hospital room. She was asleep on her bed. Ryker immediately shouted in rage.

"Lucy! WHAT HAVE YOU . . . .?!"

The screen switched back to Sterns.

"Calm yourself, General. I have done nothing to your wife, nor do I intend to as long as you remain cooperative and collected."

Ryker strained the muscles in his neck as he clenched his fists.

"I swear to god, I'll find you and . . . ."

"Let's dispense with the unpleasantries, General. They won't get you anywhere."

Taking a minute to slowly calm himself, Ryker finally relented and unfurled his fists. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in defeat.

"What do you want?"

"I have everything I want at my disposal, General. This base has a wide multitude of treasures that will be invaluable to my plans . . . . access to government information databanks, numerous nuclear missile silos, and even a SHIELD helicarrier parked right outside that I am going to take possession of. Of course, you will provide me with your clearance codes so that I may fully utilize all of these wonderful items."

Fury scoffed.

"You think you can take the helicarrier? You got some ballsy ideas, I'll give you that."

Sterns chuckled.

"Oh, Director, SHIELD was already mine. You just didn't know it yet. After all, you didn't do anything in the last two months that I was not privy to."

With that, Fury turned around to see Blake stepping past him, taking a place amongst Ann, Deathlok and Chen. Fury and Victoria both looked at him with surprise.

"Blake?" asked Fury.

"Guess again," said Blake.

Blake grabbed at the skin of his face before pulling it away, revealing it to be a mask. The face underneath was completely smooth and blank white. Fury furrowed his brow.

"Chameleon."

Chameleon tossed the Blake mask to the floor before putting his hands behind his back. Marching straight up to Fury with a devilish smile on his face, he then spoke with his natural voice, which was completely different from the one he had used while he was impersonating Blake.

"We meet again, Nicholas. Face, to face . . . . to face."

"Who's this?" asked Bruce.

"Chameleon," repeated Fury. "International mercenary, spy and saboteur for hire. A master of disguise, and . . . . and a long hated enemy."

"Don't sell me so short, Nicholas. I'm not a master of disguise. I am the greatest master of disguise to ever live. How else do you account for me slipping by your watch yet again? And you think you're the master spy?"

"Why work with this madman?" asked Fury.

"Why work for the Leader? It's simple . . . . he pays well."

Fury clenched his teeth.

"Where's Blake?"

"Hmmm. At the bottom of the East River. More precisely, at several different points along the bottom of the East River."

Chameleon chuckled as he stepped back in line with his fellow villains. Ann let out her hissing laughter yet again as she performed a random loop-de-loop manuever.

"I told you it was a surprise party, hahahahahaha."

"But back to the matter at hand," said Leader, "there is one more surprise in store, General . . . . and I believe that you know exactly what I am referring to."

* * *

The whole group, as well as the villains, all made their way to the detention area of the facility. Ryker had given the stand down order to all of the personnel, knowing full well that Lucy's life was in the balance. He led the group to the central door, which was massive, green, and was held in place by two gigantic pistons. There was a yellow 'A' painted on it.

Sterns' face appeared on a television that was hanging in one of the ceiling corners of the detention wing.

"So, General, why don't you tell everyone what you've been hiding behind door number one?"

Ryker looked down, his eyes closed. He shook his head before putting his face in his hands. Fury folded his arms.

"General?"

Ryker said nothing.

"Very well," said Sterns. "I'll tell them."

Everyone turned to look up at the television. Bruce gave the door a brief glance when he thought he could hear the faintest hint of a growl coming from the other side.

"General Ryker very much abused his position of power in order to acquire what is lying behind that door," said Sterns. "A secret that even most of the government is not aware of. Something that could prove costly for anyone who uncovers it."

Victoria took a step forward as she threw up her hands.

"Enough with the theatrical bullshit!" she yelled. "Just tell us what it is!"

Sterns continued, seemingly unfazed by Victoria's outburst.

"As you're aware, General Ryker's wife is dying of terminal cancer. Dissection and analysis of Doctor Banner's body has been theorized as providing a potential cure to this illness. What you didn't know is that Ryker already had Doctor Banner's body."

Betty and Kate both looked at Bruce with utter confusion. ROB tilted himself to the side. Bruce then blinked a few times before turning back to the television screen.

"Have you lost your mind, Sam?" asked Bruce. "I'm right here!"

"See for yourself, Bruce."

The two pistons activated, retracting themselves into the ceiling. Now unlocked, the door automatically opened. Everyone turned with curiosity to look inside, except for Ryker, who already knew what was waiting beyond the door.

The door led to a large, featureless concrete room. In the centre of the room was a transparent containment cube, similar to the one used to hold Chen. The only difference was that this one was much larger, and that there were two cylindrical oxygen tanks affixed to each of the sides perpendicular to the door.

However, it was what was inside of the cube that drew everyone's attention.

Inside the cube was a giant creature, easily four metres in height. It had dark green, leathery skin, that evoked the imagery of a reptile. It was hunched over, with a posture similar to a gorilla. Its stomach and forearms were bulging with excess mass, and a set of four orange tentacles protruded from its back, each one ending in a spear formed out of cartilage. It had a horizontally aligned, oval-shaped head, with yellow, pupil-less eyes and a toothed maw that stretched nearly the full length of its face.

Growling, the creature turned to look at the group of visitors that had entered its domain. A thick, long, orange, forked tongue slid out of its mouth as it propped itself up on its front legs. Bruce felt himself drawn forward by his awe. He stepped towards the creature, staring right into its empty eyes.

To the shock of everyone, the creature then spoke.

"Bruce, heh, heh, heh."

"What the hell is this?" asked Bruce.

Sterns' voice came over the loudspeaker to answer him.

"This is Doctor Banner."

"But . . . . I'm Doctor Banner," said Bruce.

"Of course you are. Doctor Bruce Banner. This creature . . . . his codename is Atrocity. But before he mutated into this . . . . his name . . . . was Doctor Brian Banner."

Bruce's eyes widened as far as they could. Brian chuckled as he looked down at the dumbfounded Bruce.

"Hello, son."


	11. Atrocity

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 11: Atrocity

"What's the matter, Bruce? Not happy to see your old man?"

Bruce took multiple steps back, unable to process what was happening. Betty rushed forward and grabbed him, holding him still and preventing him from falling over. Everyone else in the room was completely transfixed by the sight of the mutated Brian before them, and the knowledge that Sterns had just revealed.

"You . . . . y-you can't be him. Y-You're n-not my, my father. You can't be!"  
"Don't make me angry, boy," said Brian. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Bruce's mind flashed back to when his father nearly killed him, his life only being saved by the interference of his mother. In that moment, he knew that the monster before him was indeed his father. Betty blinked and looked back at Brian.

"W-What . . . . what happened to you? Bruce always said you'd died!"

Brian licked the wall of the containment unit.

"So, Brucey, you finally got a girlfriend? Heh, heh, heh. And she's a pretty one, too! Daddy approves."

Betty scowled at Brian, who growled back at her. Bruce tore himself free of Betty's grasp and pointed directly at Brian.

"You leave her alone! She has nothing to do with you!"

Brian hissed.

"Grown a backbone, have you?! We'll just see about that, little boy."

"How are you alive?"

"I never died. Just locked away. By Ross, that loathsome brute. So many years in a little box . . . . and then I finally started to change, cause of that experiment I did before you were born. But you knew that already, didn't you? I've heard all about you . . . . all about what you've become because of what I did."

Bruce looked down at this hands.

"It's why they wanted you too. Only by combining our DNA, both father and son, could their . . . . cure . . . . be realized. While I turned into this . . . . Atrocity . . . . you became my true son. The Hulk. My boy. My creation. My legacy."

Bruce shook his head, holding his hands to his chest.

"You're insane. You're . . . ."

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Brian slammed one of his clawed hands against the wall of the containment cube.

"DON'T YOU TALK BACK TO ME, BOY! I MADE YOU! I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD, AND NOW I'LL TAKE YOU OUT OF IT! THE HULK'S POWER BELONGS TO ME!"

"What?"

"That's the bargain I struck with your father, Bruce," said Sterns, his voice once again filtering in through the loudspeaker. "Once I have genetic data from both you, I will allow your father to absorb your essence, your life-force. Your biomass. One of his newfound talents, after his mutation. But don't worry . . . . I'll replicate the Hulk in other subjects, under my control. Your sacrifice will give life to a new breed of humanity."

Brian broke out into raucous laughter. Bruce took a step back in horror.

"No . . . . no! NO!"

"There's nothing you can do to stop it," said Sterns. "I know that Doctor Ross' antidote is in your bloodstream right now. It'll be hours before you can transform. It's over, Bruce."

Kate looked over at the oxygen tanks, seeing that Ann was hovering nearby the one on the left side of Brian's containment unit. Pulling out her pistol, she then took aim at the tank.

"ENOUGH!"

Kate fired three shots at the oxygen tank as she yelled. The tank burst open, spraying oxygen directly at Ann, who looked at the tank with fear. As the pressurized oxygen struck her hydrogen form at high velocity, she exploded into a stream of water with a scream, splashing onto the floor in a large puddle. Seeing this, Carla quickly pulled out her magnum.

"GAMMA CORPS! TAKE THEM!"

Betty tackled Bruce to the floor as Carla and the Gamma Corps unloaded their weapons on the remaining villains. Chameleon fled for cover behind the containment unit, while Chen was blasted away by multiple pulse rifle blasts. Carla fired her magnum at Deathlok, who deflected the shot with his wrist shield.

Ryker's soldiers also joined the battle as Fitz, Simmons, Kate, ROB, Betty, Victoria and Bruce all fled the room. As they did, they came face to face with Ryker, who was aiming a magnum of his own at the group.

"General?" asked Simmons.

"You don't go any further," said Ryker. "I can't let you escape, knowing what I've done . . . . and while you were inside, the Leader promised to finish the cure . . . . if I help him."

Victoria, who was on the far right of the group, took a step forward, holding out her hands.

"General, you've gone . . . ."

Ryker turned and aimed the magnum at her, his hands shaking and his palms sweating.

"Don't you see?! This is Lucy's only chance! Her only . . . ."

A gunshot was heard as Ryker reached for his chest. Looking down, he saw that the fabric on his jacket that was over his heart started to become soaked with blood. Grabbing at it with his hand, he then took a moment before he slumped down to the floor. Kate, who was holding her pistol with both hands, let out a deep breath as she lowered her weapon.

Victoria nodded at her.

"Alright. Let's move!"

* * *

Sterns grasped at his elongated forehead with both hands as his jaw dropped upon seeing the chaos that was happening on the monitors.

"No, no, no! No! No, this can't be happening!"

He then frantically started typing on the main computer console. After a few seconds, a female, computerized voice was heard over the loudspeaker.

"Emergency security lockdown engaged."

* * *

The voice was heard throughout the whole complex as an alarm started to sound.

"Emergency security lockdown engaged."

Chen used a focused radiation blast to melt one of the attacking soldiers. As the battle continued to rage around him, Brian roared and slashed at his confinement, despite knowing that it was designed specifically to keep him inside. Fury fired a couple pistol shots at Chameleon, who took cover behind a corner of the containment cube.

He then saw that Deathlok was readying a wrist rocket, which he fired at one of the Gamma Corps commandos.

"Shit!"

Fury leaped towards the door to the room as the rocket struck the commando, blowing her to smithereens. As this happened, the explosion also reached the oxygen tank, causing a chain reaction that tore apart the containment cube and inadvertently also destroyed Deathlok. Fury got back up and sprinted out of the room as Brian broke free of his cage, howling into the air.

Carla gasped as she looked up at the ferocious monster.

"Shoot him!"

The Gamma Corps commandos fired their electric lashes at Brian, but the electricity seemed to barely faze him. Using his tentacles, he swiped at the three commandos, impaling each of them with a separate tentacle. His fourth tried to stab Carla, but she barrel rolled out of the way, before being smacked in the face by it.

Carla crashed against the wall and fell to the ground as Brian drained the life-force from the three commandos, who all slumped over once he pulled his tentacles free of them. Snatching up one of the commando's bodies, he held her to his mouth before tearing through her flesh with his teeth. Gobbling her down, he then licked his bloodied teeth as he charged towards the open door. Cleaving the last surviving soldier in half with a swing of his left claw, he then smashed his way through the bricks, carving open a hole large enough for him to fit through.

Carla looked around the room as she wiped off the blood from her mouth. Seeing that Chen was unconscious on the floor and Chameleon was nowhere to be found, she got back up while seizing her side. Clenching her teeth and hunching over in pain, she then picked up her magnum off the floor and ran out of the room. As she did, she saw the body of Ryker on the ground outside the door.

His head was completely crushed, reduced to a puddle of bloody mush by being trampled under one of Brian's feet.

* * *

"BRUCEY!"

"Keep moving!"

Bruce, Betty, Victoria, Kate, Fitz, Simmons and ROB were all sprinting as fast as they could down one of the hallways as they heard the sound of Brian bursting his way through the complex after them. As they turned a corner, they watched in dismay as a metal shutter closed down in front of them. Betty fruitlessly slammed both of her palms against the shutter.

"No!"

Kate looked behind them, seeing a labelled map on the wall that showed all of the rooms and hallways of the complex. As she was quickly running her finger along it, more shutters started to close in other hallways. The group then heard the sound of Brian smashing his way through a metal shutter as his voice got closer.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, BOY! I SMELL YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIEND! SHE'S A JUICY ONE!"

As the group realized that they were trapped, ROB flew over to the security panel next to the shutter door. Charging up his laser, he fired it directly at the panel, destroying it completely. A dinging noise was heard as the metal shutter retracted into the ceiling.

"The way is clear!"

Betty exhaled.

"Nice one, ROB!"

As the group rushed through the open doorway, Brian turned the corner into the hall. Seeing that the group was getting away from him, he doubled his pace, using his elbows to smash through the bricks on the walls. Bruce looked over his shoulder in terror, and Brian grinned at him.

"GET BACK HERE, BOY!"

Brian roared at the top of his lungs, his mouth stretching so wide that his glowing uvula was visibly shaking in the back of his throat.

* * *

Sterns continued to type on the main computer console. As he furiously typed in string after string of commands, he was suddenly startled by the door to the control room being kicked in.

"Wha . . . ."

Fury stepped inside, aiming his pistol directly at Sterns. Sterns tried to move for a pistol of his own, but Fury fired a shot into the villain's right kneecap.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Keeling over in agony, Sterns was then knocked out by Fury kicking him in the face. Fury then looked over at the computer, seeing all of the video and audio data that had been recorded throughout the complex. Turning his eye, he then saw a USB port with a thumb drive plugged into it.

* * *

The main group burst into the concrete lobby, all of them nearly out of breath. Seeing that the main door was still closed, Victoria pointed towards the security checkpoint.

"Science Team! Get in there, see if you can override the lockdown!"

Fitz nodded.

"On it!"

Fitz ran over to the security room as Simmons followed after him. He started frantically typing on the main console as he heard another roar coming from down the hall. Breathing quickly, he continued to work as Simmons placed her hand on his chest.

"Breathe, Fitz. Just breathe. You can do this."

"Jemma, I . . . ."

Simmons steeled herself as she interrupted Fitz.

"You can do this! You have to!"

"I . . . . I can't override the . . . . ah, dammit . . . ."

"DADDY'S HOME!"

Brian crashed into the lobby, leaving a pile of cracked bricks strewn about the floor. Kate turned and looked up at him in horror. Betty held out her hand.

"KATE!"

Kate tried to run away, but Brian was too fast, smacking her with the back of his hand. She was sent flying into an adjacent hallway and out of sight.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Brian chuckled as he pounded both of his fists against the ground.

"No escape this time!"

He then lashed out with one of his tentacles, slamming it against the glass windows surrounding the security checkpoint. The force of the attack caused Fitz to shout in pain as he was knocked to the floor, unconscious. Simmons screamed as she rushed down next to him.

"FITZ!"

Brian turned back to the main door, seeing that Bruce, Betty, Victoria and ROB were all backed up against it. He slowly stalked forward as he allowed the gravity of their situation to sink in, licking his teeth again with his filthy tongue.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Thought you could get away, eh, Brucey?"

Betty held onto Bruce's hand as she looked over at him with resignation. Victoria gulped, knowing that there was nothing more she could do. Even ROB was scared, trembling as he floated next to Betty's head.

"Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Tell me, boy . . . ."

Brian let his tongue sway from side to side, slurping as he did so.

"How does your girlfriend taste? She looks delicious, heh, heh, heh. I think I'll gobble her up first. Tasty little appetizer . . . . AND YOU'RE THE MAIN COURSE!"

Staring down his father, Bruce then stepped away from Betty, who tried to pull him back. Ripping himself free from her grip, Bruce took several steps forward as he slowly clenched his fists. Brian gleefully smiled as Bruce closed his eyes, focusing all of his mental energy. He knew that the antidote was still in his system, but he didn't care.

He focused everything he was feeling in that moment. All of the fear that was instilled in him of his father, to the point of repressing his memories. All of the anxiety that he had when he was a fugitive, of hurting himself or the people he cared about. All of the rage that had built up over the years because of never having the life he wanted.

All of his emotions surged to the top of his psyche, bubbling into a toxic brew that burned the rest of Betty's antidote from his system. His cells flared up with the radiation-induced defect that had been passed down to him by his father's barbaric experiments. Everything that had ever happened to Bruce reached a singular climax.

The moment in which, for the first time ever, he chose to become the Hulk.

His eyes opened, glowing with the bright green of his monstrous alter ego. Then, more gracefully than ever before, his body changed. His skin tone transitioned to a vibrant green as his muscles grew, drunk on the radiation that was always brimming in his veins. He tore through his shirt and shoes, before slamming his fists together.

"YOU'LL LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Brian chortled as he looked at Bruce.

"You're even more glorious than I imagined. The fruits of my labour, heh, heh. Don't you see? This is the real you. My true son."

"You're no father of mine," said Bruce.

"Awh, little baby Hulk is upset, heh, heh. You gonna cry? Remembering all the times Daddy beat you? I did it for your own good! You were worthless back then! A mediocre little whelp! You needed someone to teach you how to be a MAN!"

Bruce growled as he clenched his teeth and held his fists back. Brian chortled again.

"You wanna hit me? Get some payback, huh?! TAKE YOUR SHOT!"

Bruce let out a war cry as he charged towards his monstrous father. The two irradiated titans clashed, the force of colliding against each other causing a shockwave that sounded like a sonic boom. Bruce unleashed a flurry of furious punches on Brian's flesh, who retaliated with a powered slash from his right claw.

"URGH!"

Bruce looked down in surprise to see that Brian's claws could actually wound him; he had four gashes in his chest that started to bleed. Given a moment of opportunity, Brian grabbed Bruce by the head before heaving him to the side, slamming his son's head against the concrete wall. Bruce tried to use his strength to push himself away from the wall, but Brian held him still.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER, BOY! ACCEPT IT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A KING, BUT INSTEAD, YOU TRY TO PRETEND YOU'RE STILL JUST A MAN!"

Bruce looked at Betty and ROB with concern. Betty was watching the battle with tears in her eyes, knowing that she had no way of helping the man she loved. ROB was bouncing side to side with anxiety.

"Stay back!" shouted Bruce.

"YOU'RE A FREAK, BRUCE! AN ABOMINATION! A MONSTER! JUST LIKE ME!"

"I'M NOT A MONSTER!"

Bruce elbowed Brian in the gut, causing him to loosen his grip on Bruce's head. Bruce then used his feet to shove himself off the wall, staggering Brian as he was knocked back. Bruce tried to land a solid punch to Brian's jaw, but his father caught his fist. Using his other hand, Brian landed a powerful hook on Bruce's face.

Squeezing on Bruce's fist as hard as he could, Brian laughed as he used his tentacles to stab his son repeatedly in the chest. Roaring with fury, Bruce reached out and seized Brian by the throat, nearly crushing his father's windpipe. Lunging forward, Bruce managed to perform a choke-slam on Brian.

"ARRRRRGH!"

Bruce held his father down with one hand as he started wildly wailing on him with his other. After a dozen or so punches to Brian's face, Bruce was suddenly stunned by the sound of a gunshot, followed by a piercing pain in his back.

Turning around, Bruce saw Carla running into the room, firing her magnum and readying her energy blade with her other hand. Bruce was so surprised by Carla's attack that Brian got the chance to swipe at his son's ankles, tripping him over. As Brian got back to his feet, Carla turned her magnum on him.

"HE'S MINE!" she yelled.

Firing the last shot in her gun, Carla hit Brian square in his left eye. His cornea was shattered by the bullet's impact, with yellow blood spurting from the hole as Brian squealed in pain. As Brian stumbled backwards, Carla took the chance to charge at Bruce, who was still on his back. Tossing her magnum aside, she held her energy blade high as she leaped towards his downed body, aiming her downward blade directly for his heart.

Her momentum was then stopped by one of Brian's tentacles impaling her from behind. Coughing blood onto Bruce's chest, she then grabbed at the tentacle that was emerging from just under her breasts. She looked at it with shock and confusion as Brian then turned her body so that he could look directly into her eyes.

Brian grinned at her as his left eye continued to bleed.

"Naughty little girl."

Bellowing with rage, Brian used his tentacle to slam Carla against the ground. He then swiped her body side to side, smashing her repeatedly against both walls, with her screaming the entire time. After a dozen or so of these strikes, he brought her up and plowed her into the ceiling before finally slamming her against the wall one last time. Her body finally tore in half as Brian retracted his tentacle, her blood and entrails smeared all over the room.

Brandishing his claws, Brian turned back to his son.

"Now that that's settled . . . ."

Bruce burst to his feet, kicking out at Brian's stomach. Landing a powerful hit to his father's side, Bruce stunned Brian long enough to tackle him to the floor. Brian lashed out with his tentacles, wrapping them around Bruce's body and continuing to stab him in the back, drawing more blood. Brian gnawed on the flesh of his son's shoulder before Bruce then reached into Brian's open mouth, yanking on and ripping out his tongue.

"BLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!"

Brian choked on some of his own yellow blood as he backhanded Bruce across the face, knocking him against the wall. Aiming all of his tentacles at Bruce, Brian was then shocked by being blasted in the side by a red laser beam.

"I will aid you, Doctor Banner!" said ROB. "I cannot stand aside any longer!"

"ROB, NO!"

ROB fired another laser at Brian, whose flesh was seared by the sustained blast. Bruce jumped forward and punched his father's chest, but Brian slashed downward with his tentacles, knocking Bruce to the ground. With his son momentarily incapacitated, Brian reached out and snatched up ROB with his left claw, snarling at him while holding him up to his face.

"You are a most unpleasant person!"

ROB fired another laser blast, striking Brian in the face. Brian screamed as he was temporarily blinded by the attack. ROB tried to wiggle free of his grasp, but Brian then blinked before squeezing inward, crushing ROB's frame and cracking the domed glass section. A loud buzzing noise was heard, and both Bruce and Betty held out their hands.

"ROB!"

Brian growled as he tossed ROB aside, who then crashed onto the ground. The cracked glass on ROB's frontal section started flickering on and off. Brian then lifted his claw as if to strike at his son, but an enraged Bruce jumped up and roared as he swung with a haymaker, socking Brian right across the jaw.

Stumbling backwards, Brian crashed into the security checkpoint office, and Simmons screamed as she used her body to shield Fitz from falling ceiling panels. Brian tried to push himself up, but Bruce grabbed him by his tentacles before swinging him around and slamming his body against the nearby wall.

As Bruce went in for another attack, Brian slashed out with his tentacles, driving his son back. Bruce tried to fight them off, but Brian savagely cut Bruce half a dozen times with slicing attacks. Wrapping two tentacles around Bruce's throat, Brian then started swiping at him with his hand claws. Betty fell to her knees as she watched the brutal display.

Then, she heard a voice she thought she never would again.

"BETTY!"

Betty turned to the left and looked up to see an exhausted and bloodied Kate standing on a balcony overlooking the lobby.

"Kate?!"

"USE THIS!"

With both hands, Kate heaved an object over the railing. Betty's eyes widened upon seeing that it was a rocket launcher. Picking up the weapon once it fell on the floor, Betty then sneered as she got on one knee and took aim at Brian, who had just knocked Bruce away from him.

"Hey, you!"

Brian quickly looked over his shoulder, blinking upon seeing what Betty was aiming at him. Betty scoffed.

"You lose, big guy."

Betty fired the rocket, and Brian gasped. He had no time to move before it struck him in the chest, causing a massive explosion that splattered blood, pieces of bone and chunks of flesh all around the room. Most of Brian's stomach was destroyed, leaving a gaping hole that contained all of his organs reduced to jelly and several fragments of his ribcage.

Brian's devastated carcass slumped over and fell to the ground as a puddle of yellow blood started to form around him, pouring out of his main wound, his destroyed eye and his mouth. He coughed one last breath before dying.

Betty took in several deep breaths as she tossed the rocket launcher aside. Victoria slid down the back wall to the ground, completely floored by the spectacle she had just witnessed. Simmons, covered in dust and dirt, trudged out of the security checkpoint, holding hands with a disoriented Fitz. Bruce, still in his Hulk form, took in several deep breaths of his own as he smiled at Betty, who returned the gesture.

Bruce then started to shrink, returning to his human form. Once the transformation was complete, he blinked, immediately having control of his faculties. He then rushed over to ROB, beckoning Betty over.

The two scientists knelt down next to ROB, whose light was still flickering.

"D-D-Doc . . . . Doc-tor . . . . B-Ban . . . . Banner! D-Doctor . . . . Rrrrrrrross! Did . . . . did . . . . w-we w-wi . . . . win?"

Both Bruce and Betty started to cry as they looked down at their fallen friend.

"Yeah, ROB," said Bruce, wiping his cheeks with his hands. "We won."

"Good . . . . good . . . ."

"Why, ROB?" asked Betty. "Why did you do that? Why?"

"As . . . . as I, I, I s-said . . . . a-always . . . . h-hap . . . . happy to, to h-help . . . ."

ROB's light finally shut off, and this time it did not turn on again.


	12. Looking In

Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 12: Looking In

As Lucy sipped down the last of the water in her paper cup, one of the doctors walked into the room. Nodding at her, the doctor took the empty cup from her hand and tossed it in the waste bin for her. He then pulled up a chair and sat down, with a dejected look on his face. Lucy raised her eyebrows as he relayed to her the news that she had hoped never to hear.

Once he was done, the doctor apologized for her loss before leaving. Tears in her eyes, Lucy looked over at the picture that she had on her bedside table. She then cried herself to sleep.

She would not wake up again.

* * *

Pressing in the number combination on the security panel, one of the Ravencroft guards watched as the barred door slid to the side to admit him entrance to the cell block. Strolling inside, he twirled his baton with his left hand while whistling to himself. Scratching the side of his head with his free hand, he then looked over at the cells that were housing the new arrivals.

There were three cells, each one having been specially designed for their occupant. Looking inside the first cell, he saw a man with glowing, green skin and a hazmat suit sitting on a bench inside of a containment cube. He was deep in contemplation, and did not seem particularly perturbed by his situation. The guard shrugged and moved to the next door.

Looking inside the second cell, the guard saw a cylindrical, airtight confinement that was housing a woman made of green gas. She was repeatedly slamming herself against the transparent wall of her container, each time exploding into a misty cloud before reforming into her standard feminine form.

Clicking his tongue, the guard then looked inside the third and final cell. Inside he saw a man with green skin and an elongated forehead. He was wearing a standard prison jumpsuit, and had a leg brace on his right leg. He was sitting on the floor, huddled in the back corner, and was rocking himself back and forth.

Satisfied with what he saw, the guard yawned before turning around and leaving the cell block. He set the barred door in place before turning off the lights.

* * *

At the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, a man walked up to the check-in desk. One of the female clerks at the desk smiled at him as he approached her. He was wearing an impeccable business suit, and was carrying both a briefcase and a luggage bag with him. She verified his identity information via his driver's license and credit card before handing him a key to his room.

"I hope you have a fantastic stay at the Luxor, Mister Hoskins. Do you require any assistance with your luggage?"

"No, thank you," answered the man, with a drawl American accent. "I'm all set."

"Excellent. Please feel free to call us here at the front desk if you require anything at all during your stay."

"Will do, ma'am. Much obliged."

The man turned away, and started to walk through the gaming floor that led to the hotel elevators. Once he was inside of his room, he went to the bathroom and opened the suitcase, revealing a wide variety of masks and make-up products.

* * *

"Come in."

Bruce and Betty walked into the office, both of them visibly apprehensive about what they were about to do. Inside the office was a single desk, which Fury was sitting behind, along with two chairs on the opposite side. A beige file folder was on the desk. Fury gestured towards the seats, and Bruce and Betty sat down.

Fury put his hands together on the desk before he started speaking.

"I'm Nick Fury. Director of SHIELD."

"We know who you are," said Betty.

"I wanted to . . . . reintroduce myself. I felt it was appropriate given that I'd like this to be a new chapter in our relationship. Fresh start."

Bruce sighed, unsure of what to say.

"After all your people have done to us?" asked Betty.

"Doctor Ross, I want you to know that recent events have caused me to reconsider my approach to this situation. Not just yours. I think SHIELD has been mishandling how we deal with metahumans, but . . . . I want you to know that I didn't know about Brian Banner. I didn't make that decision. I didn't make the decision to work with Captain Talbot, or to attack the Baxter Building. A lot of things recently haven't been my decision."

"Why is that?"

"I have people I answer to. World Security Council. But . . . . that relationship has also changed. Came across a flash drive at the base. Used it to make recordings of the security camera footage. I have the whole ordeal on tape. They were the ones who put General Ryker in charge, and . . . ."

Fury paused before he finished his sentence.

". . . . and I threatened to make it all public if I wasn't given full, non-conditional control of SHIELD. They . . . . eventually agreed. Not the only thing I found on that flash drive. Also used the data that Doctor Sterns had on it to find his stealth craft. We're stripping it for parts now. Agent Fitz thinks that he might be able to reverse-engineer Sterns' invisibility technology."

"So what happens now?"

"Now, you have a choice. I have two potential solutions to our current dilemma. Option one. You two walk out that door, right now, and you go on with your lives. SHIELD, and everyone working under my command, will never come after you again. We will never contact you. We will never try to find you. Our relationship ends. Forever."

Bruce blinked as he looked over at Betty before returning his gaze to Fury.

"And what's option two?" asked Bruce.

"We work together," answered Fury. "I saw what you did as the Hulk in there. You saved lives. Not just your own, or Doctor Ross. You saved my agents. My people. You showed control, and I think that can be used."

Bruce scowled.

"As a weapon?"

"As a hero."

Bruce blinked again.

"There are other heroes out there. The Fantastic Four, Iron Maiden . . . . some others who aren't as public. The world's changing fast, Doctor Banner, and I think you could be one of the people to help us get there. This is my offer. You work with us, as a consultant. We'll provide a safe-house for yourself and Doctor Ross. And . . . ."

Fury reached for the file folder. Opening it, he picked up a small, white identification card that was inside.

"I lost one of my best agents in this. Agent Blake. I've already promoted someone else to his position, but . . . . I still have a slot open."

He then turned to Betty and handed her the card. She took it and looked at the front.

"Elizabeth Ross. Agent Twenty-Nine. SHIELD Special Service. Rank: Science Officer."

She looked down at the card for a few seconds before looking up at Fury.

"Position's yours, if you want it. You would be an official liaison to our new asset, Doctor Banner, and I suspect that your scientific expertise and combat ability would be of great value to this organization."

Bruce smiled at Betty, happy to know that the woman he loved was being recognized so highly for her achievements. Betty returned the smile, before reaching out and grabbing his hand.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I want to let you know a couple more things before you decide. We've acquired your father's carcass. Agent Simmons wants to use it. Harvest it. She believes that she may still be able to construct the cure using it . . . . as long as she can get a genetic sample from you. Just a sample, and it's your decision."

Bruce looked down before nodding.

"Maybe something good can come of this after all," he said.

"One question," said Betty.

Fury nodded.

"What happens to Katherine Waynesboro?"

"Miss Waynesboro broke operating protocol," said Fury. "She leaked classified information to third parties, and violated the oath she swore when she joined this organization."

Betty frowned.

"And I reinstated her just before you got here."

"What?"

"What she did is one of the single most courageous actions that I've ever seen during my career. I trust Miss Waynesboro now more than ever, because I know that she values doing what's right above blind loyalty to whoever happens to be in charge. That's the principle that SHIELD was founded on, and it's a principle that I hope this organization can reacquire. So . . . . what's your decision?"

Betty smiled, before looking over at Bruce.

"Your call."

Bruce bit the inside of his lip as he squeezed Betty's hand.

"No more running," he said. "No more hiding."

A single tear fell out of the corner of Betty's eye. Bruce turned back to Fury.

"Option two."

Fury held out his hand.

"Welcome to SHIELD."

Bruce shook Fury's hand as Betty laughed through a handful of tears, her cheeks turning bright red. She too shook Fury's hand as he smiled at her.

"Before you go, there's something you might be able to help me with."

"What's that?" asked Bruce.

"My second-in-command, Maria Hill, was on an assignment for me over the past few weeks. She found something in the Arctic Circle and brought it back here. Science Team is looking at it now, and they requested that if you accepted my offer, that you provide them with some aid."

"What did they find?" asked Betty.

Fury paused before answering.

"Captain America."

Both Bruce and Betty widened their eyes upon hearing Fury's answer.

"And he's alive."

THE END

The Hulk Will Return

* * *

Epilogue

A while later, Fury was alone in his office. Turning on his holographic display screen, he created a new project file. He typed in some commands and set the parameters for the project. As he was about to finish the creation process, the interface asked him to input a name for the project. Fury took in a deep breath before typing one in.

THE INITIATIVE.

He then made three files inside of the project panel, taking data from SHIELD's databases to create them. The first one was blue, the second one was red, and the third one was green.

STEVE ROGERS – CAPTAIN AMERICA.

TASHA STARK – IRON MAIDEN.

BRUCE BANNER – THE HULK.

Fury sat back in his chair and stroked his chin as he looked over the files.


End file.
